Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Race!
By Bob Clark | 08/17/09 | 07:09 PM EDT | 25 Comments
This year's race for judge is heating up!
The sudden death of Judge James Allendoerfer who sat on the bench of the Snohomish County Superior Court has caused sort of an election scramble to elect his replacement. Since this happened before the August primary in this off year election season, Judge Allendoerfer's untimely death has left three remaining years of his term to be filled. Usually, when a judge retires or passes away, the governor will appoint someone to fill that vacancy. In this case no such action was taken by the governor and so there will be an election to fill those remaining three years of Judge Allendoerfer's term. That election will be in this year’s November General Election.
Almost immediately Rico Tessandore, President of the Snohomish County Bar Association, put his hat in the ring with the support of another member of the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office George Appel, who was elected to the bench last November. Rico is a former Precinct Committee Officer for the Snohomish County Democratic Party and was an intense supporter for Liz Loomis in the 44th Legislative District Election last November when she lost her house seat to Republican Mike Hope.
Then it was announced that attorney Joe Wilson who ran against George Appel for Superior Court Judge and lost this last November has thrown his hat in the ring for this judgeship. On a professional level, Joe has experience handling cases as family law, civil, criminal and juvenile, including experience as a judge pro tempore and administrative judge. He however has never held the position and has major ties as a Democrat to the Snohomish County Democratic Party. Wilson reportedly spent some $170,000 on that losing campaign with the support of County Executive Aaron Reardon and Snohomish County Sheriff John Lovick.
Now today comes a major announcement that former Judge Hulbert has thrown his hat in the ring and will run for this office. Judge Hulbert is a long known judge in Snohomish County and will undoubtedly be a tough guy to beat. Last November in a very close election he lost out by less than 3,000 votes to Eric Lucas who had strong support from downtown Everett that carried the day. After some of the real touchy decisions from the Snohomish County Superior Court Bench this year including the terrible “sub-standard lot” decision by Judge Michael Downs, many members of the business community will be taking a hard look at this election to make sure no more far left leaning judges will be elected. This will give Judge Hulbert a leg up in this November.
Since Judge Hulbert is known to be a conservative, this makes for an interesting battle between Wilson and Tessandore. There will be clear divisions in the Democratic coalition as they fight it out for that vote. It just might mean that David Hulbert will walk away this November with the judgeship.
TAGS: Snohomish County Superior Court, Judge,
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25 Comments | Related Topics »Snohomish County (WA)
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Great, another Snohomish County election for Judge where we have no real choices.
Rico Tessandore: Insurance defense attorney who discretely refuses to acknowledge that he defends insurance companies. If he was proud of who he works for and what he does for a living, why does he hide it? Hardly a friend to the working men and families in Snohomish County.
Joe Wilson: Didn't we say "no" to him last November? From review of the blogs, he has never adequately addressed his DUI conviction.
Judge Hulber: Didn't we say "no" to him last November and 5 years ago?
What happened to an opportunity for real choice?
Thank goodness we have the opportunity to seat a muture, experienced Judge without costing the taxpayers a penny to train him.
This November we need to elect a Judge with experience and someone with the ability to make tough decisions. I see a wide field of candidates but there's only one who has the direct experience and ability to handle the responsibiltes necessary for the Snohomish County Superior Court Position 2 race. That person is Dave Hulbert.
It used to be people never paid much attention to these races. Now, it has become imperitive considering the anti-growth rulings coming from the bench of late.
Judge Huber has to start campaigning if he intends to win. Rico Tessandore has been knocking on doors and putting up yard signs all around my neighborhood, and I wasn't even aware Judge Huber was even in the race.
Since Judge Appel was endorcing Tessandore, I was planning on voting for him.
Of course now that I know Judge Huber will be on the ballot, I will be voting for him. I am surprised, however, that Judge Appel is supporting Tessandore.
Scott Peterson has lost 1 out of 10 appeal court cases. Thats a 90% win rate when the win rate in Snohomish county is 12%. Why is he winning all these? He does Pro Bono work. No one else can come close to that record. He represents low income,disabled,and veterans. Do those other candidates? No not one. Dont discount the dark horse. He could be another James K. Polk. He doesnt need to bang his drum whent the cases speak for them selves.
I'm supporting Rico Tessandore b/c of the three, he's the only one that has not been involved in a DUI incident. We said NO to Wilson and Hulbert before for good reason!! Having had a family member killed b/c of a drunk driver, I could NEVER support any candidate who has been involved in a DUI...especially a judge!!
This article is focusing on the two Dems in the race. Rico a Pricinct Capt for the Dems, Wilson a well known Dem, and Scott Peterson the only guy who supported G.W. Bush and is an independant. Lop sided journalism if you ask me, or maybe we have a Democrat with a slanted view.
Joe Wilson's getting a lot of free advertising right now and trying to make the best of a bad situation. Good or bad, he needs to be judged on his own merits, which aren't so great. electjudgehulbert.com
A case before the court that is important to Latino voters is one involving a single mother of three young children that has been accused of animal cruelty because someone dropped a goat off at her house for two days. The goat apparently was in bad condition. She has a third grade education and didn't understand the paper the police had her sign. Yes she is a US citizen.
The judge in this case (To remain un-named) will probably give her jail time. The mother is the only support for the children. She works cleaning houses to pay the bills. She doesn't make enough to pay all of her mortgage and the household bills. If she goes to jail the children will have to go to foster care. They will of course miss school.
QUESTION: What is your priority?
1. Please the animal rights group
2, Or Protect the children.
We want to hear from each judge on this issue. A no answer will be considered an insult.
A case before the court that is important to Latino voters is one involving a single mother of three young children that has been accused of animal cruelty because someone dropped a goat off at her house for two days. The goat apparently was in bad condition. She has a third grade education and didn't understand the paper the police had her sign. Yes she is a US citizen.
The judge in this case (To remain un-named) will probably give her jail time. The mother is the only support for the children. She works cleaning houses to pay the bills. She doesn't make enough to pay all of her mortgage and the household bills. If she goes to jail the children will have to go to foster care. They will of course miss school.
QUESTION: What is your priority?
1. Please the animal rights group
2, Or Protect the children.
We want to hear from each judge on this issue. A no answer will be considered an insult.
With all due respect, what does this have to do with an election? The candidates are not involved with this case. Without all the information the prosecuter and judge have, how could anyone give an educated response to your question. As for the children, in foster care they shall be enrolled in the proper public edutional setting as all other children receive - it's the law.
Joe Wilson( known to the DUI task force) a noted Democrat and Rico Tesseandore( who will make sure that State Farm will pay out as little as possible) a Dem Precinict Captain are declairing them them selves the front runners. I guess the voters are forgotten in this race.
Hulbert is a a member of the Buzz Inn Bar Association, and Scott Peterson Does mostly Pro Bono work. Such a shame huh? I thnk I would look to Peterson who has a record of not getting paid for his work, other than these drunks and sharks.
Dont believe me?? look up their records. They can not excuse them selves for being money hungry pigs.
why doesn't rico tessandore tell anybody that he works for farmers insurance? he advertises himself as a representative of families and small businesses. really?
Check out this website to learn more about this "family:" http://farmersinsurancegroupsucks.com/zurich/
joe wilson has his shortcomings, related to the DUI, but I don't know.
ricos email is rico.tessandore@farmersinsurance.com
im looking at the other candidates, anybody know anything about them? scott lord? scott peterson? i know about hulbert and his problems and voted against him the last too elections.
I had to reply. I have known Rico Tessandore for over 7 years. His biggest accomplishment was putting crooks and criminals in jail as a Snohomish County Deputy Prosecutor. He currently is a substitute Judge for the Superior Court and all FOUR Snohomish County district Courts. This is a guy who the Judge's trust to run their courtroom while they are away.
It is absolutely true he NOW works for Farmer's Insurance, but does he screw people out of money? No, that is ridiculous. Most accidents involve TWO human beings. Most accidents are not clear cut as to who is at fault. Rico Tessandore takes a balanced approached to his work and fights the frivolous claims and recommends payout on the claims that have merit. Don't roast a guy because of where he works. Scott Peterson does landlord/ tenant law in Seattle, nice guy but his limited practice focus and trial work makes him less seasoned. Scott Lord didn't bother showing up to the WWL forum where the herald editorial board is going to make its endorsement from, so clearly he isn't all that interested in the position.
one criticism seems valid. Namely, he seems reluctant, if not positively unwilling, to say that for the past several years that his practice has been insurance defense. Why be evasive?
I mean geez, look at his website and his facebook page. So we know that, among other things, he was the first one in his family to go to college, likes to go hiking, and likes watching ball games. Fine, but why not be specific about his work? Oh I don't know, gee maybe, "since leaving [Sno Pros Att Off] I have worked for Farmer's Insurance..."
Now, I may well vote for him; in fact, I am leaning toward him. It is a three horse race, and to me Hulbert is out of the question. And I didn't like Joe Wilson interupting President Obama... (joking!). Seriously, I am unconvinced about Wilson. But still, this does seem a little slippery on Mr. Tessandore's part, that's all.
As an attorney, the race is between the Scotts.
We didn't want Wilson before, we didn't want Hulbert before. Rico Tessandore is clearly an overfinanced lightweight. I heard him at the candidates forum. A lightweight that overinflates his meager credentials. He did admit that he works as in-house counsel for Farmers Insurance, contrary to prior posts.
Scott Noble was not at the candidate forum because he had family members near Pango Pango when the tsunami hit. Don't hold that against him.
Scott Peterson appears to have limited trial experience, but an astonishing appellate record. If he wins 90% of his appeals, he clearly understands the law better than the current judges. I saw Scott Peterson at Sausage Fest, and he did not know I was an attorney. When he told me that he wanted to be appointed to the committee that overseas the court commissioners, he had me convinced. He told me to look at a published case on his website. In that case Comm. Brudvik exhibited the same arrogant airheadedness that we all see when we appear before her in family law matters. No surprise that the Court of Appeals said her arguments were "circular." I see that in court every day. Glad an attorney finally stood up to her.
Can anybody tell me why Geoffrey Gibbs didn't run? Then we'd have a clear choice, until then, Scott Peterson first and Scott Lord a close second.
Wilson and Peterson have the best, balanced backgrounds. Wilson does a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Scott Peterson shows that he does consumer protection and real estate work, but his webpage shows 9 of 10 appeals victories in Snohomish County.
I looked at one of those appeals victories (Leda vs. Whisnand), and he sounds like one tough cookie. He went toe to toe with the judge, round after round, never giving up. The Court of Appeals skewered pro tem Judge Brudvik in their order. When Rico T. says that he is a pro tem judge, I wonder if he is as good as Judge Brudvik. lol
Right now I'm for Peterson, but Wilson is a close second.
Go Silvertips!
Rico Tessandore supporters turn nasty on Joe Wilson:
Todays Everett Herald shows Tessandore supporters sniping at Joe Wilson, anonymously through DUI claims. I saw Tessandore the other day and he looks like he's getting desparate. He's been caught claiming to support "small business and families" yet, he denies claims for the #2 largest insurance company in the country, Zurich Insurance. His law firm is in-house counsel for Zurich's Farmers Insurance division. He admits that he's an insurance defense counsel here: http://www.snobar.org/news/06Dec.pdf
Please, vote for anybody but Rico Tessandore. The last thing we need is another dishonest politician.
After everything I have read, and that I have seen, I am voteing for Peterson. I see the guy on corners waving with supporters.That means alot to me, he is being proactive and I guess thats him. Wearing Blue and Kahki. May not mean much to the guys with all the signs in the ground, but signs dont make me vote for a guy. Its seeing the man out and about that does it for me.
Scott Peterson is the best candidate for Superior Court Judge.
Scott Peterson is just what we need to keep the lawyers honest. I received an email today that has been forwarded many times. It states that Scott Peterson was rated lowest of the 5 candidates, but that he specializes in suing lawyers. No wonder he is hated. He has brought multiple suits against 3 of the Snohomish County Bar Association officers, and has sued their law firms. The email stated that he has won 9 of 10 appeals in Snohomish County, and that the next best opponent has only won 2 appeals.
I don't know about you, but a lawyer suing lawyers? My kind of guy! His materials also state that he wants to evaluate all the Snohomish Court Commissioners. As a father that has minimal visitation with my son, thanks to a commissioner that wouldn't listen to me, I like that idea. These commissioners are appointed for life, or so it seems, and with them making it difficult to see my son, I'd be glad to see them held accountable.
Visit his website at www.scottpetersonforjudge.com, I did, and I was impressed. He talks about compassion and integrity, like all the other candidates, but Scott Peterson backed this statement up with his clients names and cases.
If the lawyers don't like him, he has got to be a good judge in my book. Some of the people he has sued are Everett Housing Authority many times, Lorna Corrigan, Newton Kight, Michael Cullen, All County Evictions, Kristin Thompson, Marsh Mundorf Pratt, Evan Loeffer, John Flowers and Orlo Williams.
I support Scott Peterson for Snohomish County Superior Court judge. Prior to making my decision I reviewed the voters pamphlet and various on-line resources. Judge Peterson's website is www.scottpetersonforjudge.com.
Scott Peterson has won 90% of his Snohomish County appeals. That means that the current judges have gotten it wrong 90% of the time. Scott Peterson's record in the court of appeals is better than every other candidate combined.
Mr. Peterson also does much pro bono work. As a volunteer in domestic violence I appreciate his committment. Too often a candidate claims to volunteer when in fact they visit our domestic violence shelters once a year, or infrequently. The depth of Mr. Peterson's committment is commendable.
It was with great interest that I read the transcript of a hearing before Commissioner Jacalyn Brudvik from Mr. Peterson's website: http://www.scottpetersonforjudge.com/Brudvik040408VolIItranscript.pdf. This conduct by the Snohomish County bench is typical of my dealings with the family law court. The Court Commissioners refuse to listen to the parties before making a decision. Commissioner Brudvik apparantly felt that discussing people's pets and children was more important than paying attention to the cases. This transcript is embarrassing, and an indictment of the Snohomish County judicial system.
Please join me in voting for Scott Peterson. Tell all your friends about the great expose' at www.scottpetersonforjudge.com, and I'm sure they'll vote for Scott Peterson also.
Isn't John Flowers running for Everett City Council? Does anybody know how I can get more information about his involvement in this class action lawsuit?
I'll say that it appears Scott Peterson keeps his lawn nice and green:
Scott R Peterson
27 - 46th Street SW
Everett, WA 98203
US
Link to his house on Google Maps
Will Judge Hulbert run again against Judge Lucas? Will any of the other candidates run again? I was impressed with the caliber of the candidates, other than Scott Lord who gave up early on.
in my daughters case, I witnessed outright public corruption court-wide-leading the pack of wolves-Judge Eric Lucas, an insane, inept sociopath who sacrificed a child for his political positioning at the very least, but who knows what else was involved. Several other court lunatics were involved. Snohomish County family court buries their victims of domestic abuse. They need a serious clean-out, starting with Aaron Reardon,
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