Phila. judge candidates win uncontested spots
If it were a movie called "Seven Candidates for Seven Judgeships," it would get two thumbs down for lack of drama.
But that's what Philadelphia voters had as their choices for seven open judgeships for Common Pleas Court: seven candidates.
Same with Municipal Court. Four openings. Four candidates.
Guess who's winning?
The Common Pleas Court candidates were Dan Anders, Adam Beloff, Robert Coleman, Roxanne Covington, Angeles Roca, Diane Thompson and Donna Woelpper.
Only Covington was not cross-filed, so she did not appear on the Republican side of the ballot.
Early returns showed the random handful of write-in candidates posed absolutely no threat to the seven shoe-ins.
Anders is the first openly gay judicial candidate. He was appointed by Gov. Rendell in 2007 to a vacant judgeship and he has since served on Family Court.
Roca was appointed last year by Rendell and was running for a full term.
Covington, a former member of the Philadelphia Human Relations Commission and a trial lawyer, was the only candidate not recommended by the Philadelphia Bar Association.
The candidates for Municipal Court were Pat Dugan, Charles Hayden, Dawn A. Segal and Joseph C. Waters Jr. All the Municipal Court candidates were cross-filed.
Again, all were poised to win.
Hayden served as counsel to U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.) and as in-house counsel for Waste Management Inc.
Dugan was appointed to a vacant judgeship in 2007 and was seeking a full term. He is a U.S. Army combat veteran in Iraq and recipient of the Bronze Star.
Waters is a former Philadelphia police captain.
Segal is a veteran lawyer with experience as "judge pro tempore" in Common Pleas Court.
Seventeen sitting judges - nine from Common Pleas Court, six from Municipal Court, and two from Traffic Court - also were on the ballot for a retention vote.
The Common Pleas Court judges are Sandy L.V. Byrd, Ida Chen, Pamela Pryor Dembe, the court's current president judge; Richard J. Gordon, Glynnis Delbert Hill, Benjamin Lerner, who handles pretrial motions for all murder cases, Annette M. Rizzo, Karen Shreeves-Johns, and Sheila A. Woods-Skipper.
Common Pleas Court judges serve 10-year terms, then face a retention vote. They earn $161,850 a year and those with administrative duties earn slightly more.
The Municipal Court Judges were Frank T. Brady, Barbara S. Gilbert, Lydia Y. Kirkland, Gerard A. Kosinski, Marsha H. Neifield, the court's current president judge, and Craig M. Washington.
Municipal Court judges earn $158,105 annually, serve six-year terms, and then face retention.
Washington's election attracted attention because of an incident earlier this year in which he removed a photograph of slain Police Officer John Pawlowski from his court.
Washington said he did so because he was presiding over one of the court's divisional rooms, in the 35th Police District headquarters in Ogontz. The divisional courtroom shares space with the police roll-call room. Washington said he wanted to avoid appearing less than impartial as he conducted trials.
The action outraged the city's police union, which called for a "no vote" on Washington's retention.
No immediate overall tallies were immediately available for Washington's retention last night, but spot checks of votes in several wards show that he was winning.
Two Philadelphia Traffic Court judges - Bernice Ann DeAngelis and Earlene Green - were up for retention. Traffic Court judges earn $85,050 and serve six-year terms.
Contact staff writer Robert Moran at 215-854-5983 or bmoran@phillynews.com.