Some surprising endorsements by Montco Democrats
Montgomery County Democratic leaders endorsed many familiar faces Thursday night - but a few of their picks left some members scratching their heads.
Montgomery County Democratic leaders endorsed many familiar faces Thursday night - but a few of their picks left some members scratching their heads.
Among those who received the executive board's approval: three Democrats who until recently were Republicans, and a judicial candidate rated "not recommended" by the Montgomery County Bar Association.
The endorsement of Natasha Taylor-Smith for County Court was especially perplexing to some, since there were one "highly recommended" and three "recommended" candidates party leaders could have backed.
Jeffrey Lindy, a high-profile defense attorney, was highly recommended by the bar. He said he lost the endorsement after getting on the bad side of Commissioners Chairman Josh Shapiro.
"If the party boss is going to control the judicial process and the nomination process, then I guess you're not supposed to get into disagreements with the party boss," he said. "I thought we were different in Montgomery County, but apparently not."
Shapiro said he had no ill will toward Lindy, who was not on the selection committee's short list when Shapiro weighed in.
Party officials said they give little weight to the bar's recommendations because their own review process is as thorough and more representative of the county's diversity.
"These are the four best candidates we have," Shapiro said.
Lynn Marks, executive director of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, said she doesn't know the candidates or the Democrats' reasons for endorsing them. But typically, she said, bar association rankings are comprehensive, nonpartisan, and held in high regard.
"They work very hard to consider really specific criteria to rate the candidates, like integrity and good health and legal ability, and their judicial temperament," she said, adding, "and not to focus in on what party they are or who can win [or] who can raise the money."
Taylor-Smith is politically active in the Cheltenham area and works as the solicitor for most of the county's human services agencies.
David Nasatir, chairman of the party's judicial selection committee, said legal ability was the committee's first priority, but politics "certainly plays a real role. There's no question that you want a ticket that reflects the real world."
At the party's executive committee meeting, the board also endorsed Karen Geld Sanchez for controller and Kevin R. Steele for district attorney.
Sanchez is a lawyer with the firm of Obermayer, Rebmann, Maxwell & Hippel who specializes in corporate finance law.
Steele has switched from Republican to independent to Democrat in recent years. In an interview this week, he said party affiliation should not be a factor in the prosecutor's job.
In addition to Taylor-Smith, the board endorsed:
Daniel J. Clifford, a prominent family-law attorney who comes "highly recommended" and ran for the bench as a Republican in 2009 and 2011.
Wendy G. Rothstein, was recommended by the bar and is known in legal circles as a strong litigator. She also used to be a Republican.
Todd D. Eisenberg, who was recommended by the bar and works as a corporate lawyer for Peco.
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