Toledo bar Recommendations for Judges

Candidate ---- Highly Recommended ---- Recommended ---- Not Recommended
Mark Davis ---- 1.8% (6) ---- 7.9% (26) ---- 90.3% (298)

Davis' response:

Davis, a Toledo Bar member who declined to participate in the survey, attributed his poor showing to favoritism.

“It’s always been like that, it’s nothing new,” Davis said. “You can read between the lines and see who voted in that poll. There are about 2,000 lawyers in Toledo and only 300 to 400 responded. If you are a prosecutor and you treat the defense bar well and with plea bargains then you are going to get a high rating. If you are going to be tough and you become a judge then you are going to get a lower rating.”

http://www.toledofreepress.com/2011/09/29/toledo-bar-survey-ranks-candidates/

even if it's a popularity contest, if everyone hates you, you're doing something wrong

Davis has a point about the response rate of the survey, buuuutttt....

1.) It's hard to get 90% of any group anywhere to agree on something unless it's something blindingly obvious (i.e. "the sky is blue: agree or disagree"), and

2.) say 400 people did respond. That means 360 of the 400 (90%) were very motivated to say this guy sucks.

It's not a random sample, but man...that's more than "I'm just a tough competitor in the courtroom." That's "my peers...people in my profession...have serious misgivings about giving me judicial power and are not shy about expressing that sentiment."

isn't this the same thing that happened last time they did the poll? that alone says a lot

From the Toledo Bar Association 2011 Judicial Candidates Poll Results:

John Coble was not certified as a candidate for Toledo Municipal Court Judge as of 9/1/11 and therefore, pursuant to the TBA Code of Regulations, was not polled for this survey. Mr. Coble has since been certified as a candidate and a separate poll was conducted from 9/19/11 until 9/26/11, and is published below.

Lourdes Santiago was certified as a candidate for Toledo Municipal Court Judge as of 9/1/11 and, therefore, pursuant to the TBA Code of Regulations, was polled for this survey. Ms. Santiago has since withdrawn as a candidate.

Toledo Municipal Court, for the full term commencing January 3, 2012

John A. Coble
Highly Recommended: 60.1% (137)
Recommended: 32.5% (74)
Not Recommended: 7.5% (17)

Versus John's opponent Robert Christiansen

Highly Recommended: 22.6% (70)
Recommended: 31.6% (98)
Not Recommended: 45.8% (142)

Wow! 90+% against? That says something.

In smaller cities, like Toledo, lawyers usually work with one another throughout the years. So, there is a be kind to thy enemy mentality because the legal community is relatively small. For Davis to be so ostracized by the local legal community says a lot about his character, in my opinion.

"Bar members were instructed to vote only if they had sufficient information concerning the candidates to form an opinion of their qualifications."

Maybe it is hard for other lawyers to fly as high as the legal bald eagle?!?

Michelle Wagner has my vote!

Doesn't look like Davis is going to run again...

Thank god...

http://www.toledoblade.com/Politics/2011/12/21/After-4-tries-lawyer-says-he-won-t-run-again-for-judge.html