To be honest, I don’t pay a lot of attention to Elections for Judges.  In my humble opinion, this should always be viewed – first and foremost – as a competency issue, as opposed to a question of political philosophy.

Choices for Courts of Common Pleas are preserved The People of Pennsylvania to decide.  On Tuesday, November 5, Montgomery County voters will be choosing between four candidates for two openings in the Court of Common Pleas for Montgomery County (PA).

It’s an important decision for Voters, particularly in Pennsylvania where it’s purported to be easier to become a judge than it is a cosmetologist!

So where does one go to find out which Judges are considered to be most competent?  Answer – for me at least – is the Montgomery Bar Association, which every year offers its recommendations for the election of Judges.

There are four candidates for two open positions on the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas.  In Pennsylvania the Court of Common Pleas hears and decides major civil and criminal cases.

The Montgomery (PA) Bar Association’s Judiciary Committee gives only Maureen Coggins, Esq. its Highly Recommended rating.  She was the ONLY Montgomery County lawyer to receive this recommendation.

The remaining three candidates, Sharon L. Giamporcaro, Esq., Steven C. Tolliver, Sr., Esq., and Gail Weilheimer, Esq. are provided Recommended ratings.

Maureen Coggins, esq.

Maureen Coggins is the only one of the four candidates I can remember having met or heard speak.  I caught her presentation for support from Montgomery County Republican Committee members in January 2011 in which she was unsuccessful that November.

I was much impressed by her passion, commitment, and no-nonsense plan for making the most of a judicial position if elected.  At the time, I felt that Montgomery County missed a great choice for The Bench.

Of the other three candidates, I was most impressed by the backgrounds and experiences of both Ms. Giamporcaro and Mr. Tolliver.

As a citizen however, you should rightfully be most concerned about the Quality of the Judges you elect; and for that, Maureen Coggins comes Highly Recommended!

Of the others, choose wisely.

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A Scott Freda update for Horsham Township voters

Last week, I gave my not so surprising views on the upcoming election for Horsham Township Council.  But I missed a BIG piece of information on candidate Scott Freda, who served as an advisor to President Bill Clinton.

It appears that Freda’s name was prominently mentioned in an investigation into illegal campaign contributions related to the 2000 Presidential campaign of Al Gore.

The L.A. Times in an article published in June 2007 described the sordid connections between a California businessman, Ray Jinnah, and advisors to the Clinton Administration as they worked to get Gore elected.  The network allegedly ran to Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat fundraiser and close friend of the Clintons.

McAuliffe, in another interesting twist, is currently running to become Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia!

In part, the Times article notes …

“The Times obtained a copy of a stock certificate showing 10,000 shares in the name of Scott Freda, a fundraiser and McAuliffe associate. Freda said he recalled Jinnah promising stock to him, but never receiving it.”

It’s best to read the entire L.A. Times article in order to draw your own conclusions.  (See the June 2007 link above.)

Jinnah eventually fled to his native Pakistan to avoid prosecution, returning to face the music and plead guilty in 2006.

Freda was never prosecuted for his involvement; but he freely admitted that Jinnah promised him stock.  The “Big Aha!” for me is that the L.A. Times piece fails to mention whether Mr. Freda ever went to the authorities with the first-hand information he knew of Jinnah before being confronted with it years later.

My thoughts on this?

Where there’s Smoke, there’s Fire!

Voters of Horsham Beware!