Candidate Spreads Lies While Refusing To Answer Questions
BY BUDDY NEVINS
The questions were routine and no different than thousands of others I have asked candidates over the years.
They were pointed, but a veteran lawyer and a judicial candidate like Sean Conway should be able to handle such questions easily.
I asked Conway in an email why he was putting shamrocks on his campaign material. Was it pandering? Was it a reminder to voters that he is white?
A second question asked him why he first ran for Broward Public Defender and was now running for judge. I also asked, “Does your campaign for Public Defender raise the question whether you, if elected, will be fair to both sides in a criminal trial?”
I sent the questions at 8:08 a.m. May 13.
I expected judicial demeanor and a calmly considered answer. What I got at 9:17 a.m. was this:
“I just now called around to ask who you are I was told you used to be a journalist until the Sun Sentinel pushed you out and now you’re a hack who gets hired to do hit pieces.”
Hmmmm.
Conway’s campaign sign
Conway on the Internet
Remember Conway is a candidate for judge. His non-answer is pure, unadulterated hearsay by his own admission. He writes he “was told” this information during the 1 hour 9 minutes he took to answer. He has no firsthand knowledge or evidence. Hearsay like this would not be allowed as testimony in court.
His hearsay is nothing more than false and show a lack of knowledge of the facts. And he never answered the questions!
But this story isn’t about me. I’m used to criticism. During the many years I wrote a column for the Sun-Sentinel, I was attacked many times. In public. In writing. On the phone. Regularly. None of those critics were running for judge.
This story is about a candidate for judge who fires off loose untruthful language.
That is exactly what Conway was reprimanded for in the past by the Florida Supreme Court.
His email to me proved little has changed. Conway apparently is still prone to engage his word processor before he engages his brain.
A dozen years ago, the Florida Supreme Court reprimanded him for posting comments on a courthouse blog about a judge which “were false or posted with reckless disregard as to their truth or falsity.”
He called the judge “seemingly mentally ill” and an “EVIL UNFAIR WITCH,” among other things.
“No wonder” that Conway had a problem with the Supremes. He has no ability to remain calm.
Imagine if Conway becomes a judge. The Florida Supreme Court’s Canon’s of Judicial Conduct that warn “a judge must expect to be the subject of constant public scrutiny.” Will Conway be able to take the heat without exploding?
I’m no lawyer. I’ve never been a candidate.
Yet I could easily answer my own questions.
I expected an answer like this: “The shamrock is a universal symbol of luck and I display it for luck…plus my father was Irish and I do this to honor him.”
I expected the second answer like this: “I decided to run for judge instead of Public Defender because I felt I could do more to accomplish justice for all as a judge.”
But what I got was personally pummelled.
We still don’t know why Conway has a leaf on his advertising. What does a shamrock any other ethnic or religious symbol — the Star of David or a Cross? — have to do with being a good judge?
And we don’t know why he ran for Public Defender for over a year and switched one day before filing closed to run for judge.
Why did Conway lash out instead of answering standard campaign questions? Your guess is as good as mine.
In the end, you are the voters.
You will decide whether Conway demonstrated in his handling of the questions the type of judicial demeanor that belongs on the bench.
May 18th, 2020 at 2:14 pm
The FIRST FULE OF POLITICS IN BROWARD COUNTY IS DISCOUNT EVERY DUMB HATEFUL OR NASTY ATTACK ON BUDDY NEVINS JUDY STERN N JACK SEILER and APPATRNTLY NOW DEAN TRANTALUS.
FROM BUDDY:
I’m not sure Stern, Seiler and Trantalis want me in the same list as them.
May 18th, 2020 at 2:36 pm
The ☘️ was to show he is Irish I assume.He will learn fast never,never challenge the Press or someone like yourself ( Buddy) who certainly has not just starting out.
May 18th, 2020 at 3:08 pm
the yard sign and website have my photo on them – so how could a shamrock be trying to remind people that I’m “white”?! Does the photo not already show that?
so, as you can see: your query was so stupid – that it wasn’t worth my time responding. But thank you for the free publicity.
FROM BUDDY:
But you did respond.
May 18th, 2020 at 3:55 pm
See what I mean Buddy.Mr.Conway states basically your inquire etc was stupid.However,he certainly responded awful fast.Is this incident w/ u etc going to be a siginicant factor in his success here I highly doubtful it.Regardless,I wish him well.( Boy am I in for a wild ride if I decide to run for mayor( ft.lau)- actually would not faze me in the least)
May 18th, 2020 at 4:21 pm
Ummmmm that is not a shamrock (how St Patrick taught the Trinity to the Irish). That is a 4 leaf clover. A symbol of ignorance to those that think that a 4 leaf clover represents being Irish.
FROM BUDDY:
This is another reason why Conway’s exploding in an intemperate manner didn’t serve him well. He could have just pointed out that the symbol on his advertising was a four-leaf clover rather than a shamrock. He didn’t because he apparently didn’t know the difference.
It was clear in an earlier interview on JAAblog on March 7, 2019, the Broward courthouse blog, that Conway feels strongly about his Irish heritage. The blog article was announcing Conway had opened a campaign for Public Defender. The article’s first quote was this:
“I am filing this week to become Broward’s next Public Defender!
“In memory of my father, Jack Conway, an Irish citizen, who had always encouraged me to run some day, I had planned to announce it this St. Patrick’s Day. It is something I have been planning to do for a very long time.”
He did not challenge my assertions that the symbol was a shamrock. He could have. He even repeated it was a shamrock in a comment after this article was posted.
However, don’t forget that the thrust of my post was that this judicial candidate’s answer was reckless and intemperate. The confusion over the number of leaves on the symbol and his failure to point it out again proves my point.
May 18th, 2020 at 4:33 pm
Conway’s responses to you were immature.
He better learn how to answer simple questions without all the aggregation thrown in. Sure wish I had had him in my speech class. Hope he learn from this and puts all that testosterone to better use.
May 18th, 2020 at 4:46 pm
This is not a very judicial like response or demeanor. Sean Conway- I would not want you to be my judge with that temperament. It seems like you anger easily.
May 18th, 2020 at 6:19 pm
Thats actually a 4 leaf clover not a shramrock!
May 18th, 2020 at 7:38 pm
Buddy, FOR THE RECORD, JUDY NEVER TRASHES YOU as you font trash her; and NEITHER MAYOR SEILER or TRANTALIS EVER SAID A NEGATIVE WORD ABOUT YOU. Believe me I GAVE IT SOME THOUGHT BEFORE I made the list.
May 18th, 2020 at 7:47 pm
Wow! This candidate wants to serve in the people’s court but he refers to your question as “so stupid.” Litigants who are unsophisticated can feel great comfort in knowing if Conway wins, they better not ask him things or they will get berated in court and maybe held in contempt. Worse yet, he seems like he will choose his side and do everything he can to hurt the other side.
Maybe he should have run for State Attorney or Public Defender. Oh, that’s right, he did! But then he switched at the last minute. If he happens to win, he’ll probably last longer than Hawkins but shorter than Contini. Typical for Broward.
I wish he would have run against Hawkins. Then we could have held our noses and voted like Contini vs. Feren. But instead, he is running against Natasha DePrimo, one of the nicest and smartest judges in all of County Court.
May 19th, 2020 at 9:02 am
He reminds me of loose Canon sheriff tempermental tony.
May 19th, 2020 at 1:22 pm
Can’t wait to see how he reacts when a lawyer or pro se litigant in his courtroom asks him a question he doesn’t like. Conway is the poster child for why judges shouldn’t be elected. The appointment process is filled w/politics, but most of the loose cannons like Conway get weeded out.