Eichner Deserves Chance, Even If He Is A Man
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Just because a lawyer wears a dress doesn’t mean she’ll be a good judge.
Unfortunately, many women automatically vote for females. This is especially true when they don’t know anything else about the candidate, like in low-visibility judicial races.
Take Paul Eichner, who is running for circuit court.
Eichner has record of participation in the community.
His law practice handles civil court cases, real estate, wills, home owners association law and government. He’s been involved with real people who have real problems.
Money problems. Home problems. Estate problems. Family problems.
He knows children’s issues as a former School Board member, a member of the Early Learning Coalition and the Jewish Community Center board.
With his experience, he would normally be a shoo-in for judge.
Paul Eichner, however, is running against Merrilee Ehrlich.
Not knowing anything about either candidate, voters search for a clue. The clue will tell them if the candidate mirrors their views.
The clue is usually a party label. Not in judicial races, which are non-partisan.
The clue can be a name. Eichner and Ehrlich both have similar names, which appear to me to be of Germanic Jewish origin.
So we’re down to gender. Many voters will choose Ehrlich solely because she is a female.
Voters should look beyond the gender. They owe it to themselves and the community to learn about the Eichner and Ehrlich.
Here is something you may not know about the two candidates:
In the Broward Bar poll earlier this year, about 51 percent of lawyers approved of Eichner’s temperament. About 16 percent did not approve of his temperament.
The results for Ehrlich was almost exactly opposite. Forty one (41 percent) percent of the lawyers disapproved of her temperamentâ€â€almost three times the number of disapprovals as Eichner.
Maybe the poll isn’t accurate. Maybe it isn’t fair.
Why take the chance?
Judges should have good temperament. Eichner seems to be that judge…even if he is a man.
October 28th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Sam Fields didn’t have the temperament to be judge, either. Voters rejected him and elected a fine judge, Marcia Beach.
Voters will see through advertising and gender.
October 28th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
O.K. Buddy, BUT, how many Males and/or Females are in the Broward Bar? Does that make a difference on the voting as well? Believe me, Eichner and Ehrlich have a lot to prove if they want to be a Circuit Court Judge in this County…
October 29th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Mister Courthouse: the overwhelming majority of voters have little clue which judicial candidates would make better judges. At the time of their election, Sam Fields had hundreds of trials under his belt while Marcia Beach had none. Sam is extremely bright and maintains an excellent temperment to be a judge. Sam was, by far, the better qualified candidate for the circuit court. The most likely reason Sam lost a razor thin marginal race to Judge Beach was as a result of Sam’s prior affilliation with County Commissioner Scott Cowan. Obviously, you are biased against Sam Fields. However, anyone who really knows Sam’s abilities as an attorney, intelligence, compassion, and temperment, knows that Sam would make a wonderful judge. Sam, you should run again for the bench.