WABASH CO.—‘Uncertainty’ is the key word going on in Wabash County right now when it comes to two major offices, and political posturing was what got both of them there to begin with.
The judicial vacancy created by the retirement of resident judge Steve Sawyer, and the upset that occurred for beleaguered sheriff Joe Keeling back in the March Primary, have both created such a condition of insecurity in the political field in Wabash that voters are feeling somewhat propelled along instead of guided by common sense and frank information.
Keeling was defeated in the Primary by one of his own deputies running against him on the Republican ticket, Derek Morgan.
The perpetual Democrat candidate, D-Ray Etzkorn, was of course on that party’s ballot and so has come to be the one facing Morgan November 4.
Rumor had it that there was a deal struck back in the spring between the ruling political elite of Wabash (particularly in Mt. Carmel) whereby Morgan would drop out before the race and allow Etzkorn to run unopposed, ensuring that finally, a Democrat would be in the sheriff’s office once again after the 2002 retirement of decades-long sheriff Randy Grounds of Allendale.
However, Morgan’s still in the running…although anything can happen prior to the 4th.
Hudson
What’s a little less tricky and only marginally more reassuring, however, is the selection for judge to replace Sawyer.
It’s only marginally more reassuring by virtue of the fact that young Will Hudson (son of Mt. Carmel mayor Bill Hudson) seems to have the support of many of the tried-and-true prosecutors in the area, namely, Mike Valentine in neighboring Edwards County to the west, and Chris Quick of neighboring Lawrence County to the north.
Despite Hudson’s representation of reviled ISP investigator Rick White in a Richland County OP case last year, he seems to be a capable young attorney with upwardly-mobile abilities.
Hudson is a graduate of the Southern Illinois University School of Law and has been in private practice as a trial attorney for nine years across numerous areas of Illinois law, both civil and criminal, vital experience for a judge.
He is aggressive and tenacious on the floor of the courtroom, and if he weren’t running for judge, many believe, he should be running for prosecutor…since there aren’t a lot of those with the traits of “tenacity” and “aggression” in the downstate portion of Illinois.
Goldman
One of those lacking said traits happens to be Goldman.
Managing to win the backing of the powerful Democrat Party (of which Sawyer was and remains a part), Goldman swept the election in 2008 away from Republican Chris Quick, who had held the position of state’s attorney since 2004.
However, since Goldman took office, she’s not lived up to her name and the ‘gold’ is more like lacking luster.
She has taken very few cases to trial in the four years, and the ones that she has taken have been bench trials. While those had outcomes of convictions, usually, bench trials do, so conviction rate isn’t saying much in this case.
Goldman seems to want to ride on the fact that she has four additional years on Hudson in law, and although one segment of those years was in public defense work, again, the trial aspect just hasn’t been there.
More campaigning than convicting
A bigger misery that Wabash Countians have expressed to Disclosure is the fact that in recent months, Goldman has spent more time out of her office than in, and the speculation that she was spending more time on campaigning for judge than she was on trying cases—the job she was elected to do—is a fairly good one.
So both candidates have their drawbacks, but it appears Hudson’s are more limited than Goldman’s. Which is somewhat of a shame, as, if he ascends to the bench, that will be one more aggressive attorney off the rolls when it comes to a citizen needing adequate representation.
Wabash County is the only county allowed to select their resident judge. In six years, the judge comes up for retention, and then the entire circuit can cast a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ ballot for him or her.
So citizens are urged to learn more about their candidates, and make a wise choice come November 4, as the rest of the Second Circuit will have to live with their selection at some point in time as well.