Lake County Machine Politics

Update: You may have heard that papers were recently filed in Indianapolis objecting to my eligibility to be a candidate. There is a lot of misinformation about that challenge and its consequences.

It states that the County Chairperson had no authority to appoint me. Not only is this untrue, but the Indiana State Republican party is on record (through its spokesman) stating that everything was done properly. Why then was it filed?

I don't know what was in the heart and mind of the challenger, a Republican town councilman from Winfield, but he claims that he was improperly excluded from consideration to be the judicial candidate. He clearly had the same opportunities I did to put my name in the hat. His challenge was filed by a lawyer with longstanding ties to the Democratic party and although the challenger knew about the situation last May he waited until August 10 to file the challenge.

Why wait? You may be surprised to learn that under Indiana law the mere filing of this challenge -- whatever its merit -- takes me off the ballot until the Indiana Election Commission or a Court orders me back on. A hearing has not yet been scheduled and the absentee ballots for the general election will probably be printed in mid September. That leaves a few weeks to get a determination that I should properly be on the ballot. My hearing is before the Indiana Election Commission - a four person body made up of two Democrats and two Republicans. A split decision does not return me to the ballot and if I am unsuccessful there I must file a suit to be returned the the ballot. I will let the voters decide what has happened.

Early in this campaign I stated that there is no room for politics in justice. Here again, political gamesmanship may trump the voter's ability to choose the best candidate for the position. This is reminiscent of the circumstances in the Democratic primary where only two candidates learned in time that Judge Arredondo would retire from the race.

Merit selection is a far better method to choose judges. In what is unavoidably a partisan election for judge -- why can't the voters simply be allowed to choose the better candidate?

In a place where the names of most candidates are well-known and predictable, my name is not on everyone’s lips. Let me tell you something about myself because I am asking for your support to be elected the next Judge of the Lake County Circuit Court. I was born and raised in Lake County. I am a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Indiana University (Bloomington), the Indiana University School of Law (Bloomington) and then Purdue Calumet (where I received a Master's degree in English).

My wife and I raised three wonderful daughters and I built a successful civil law practice by stressing creativity, scholarship, integrity and service to my clients. Lake County has been good to my family and it is the only home we have ever known. After concentrating on practicing law full-time for 34 years, I am seeking my first political office and first government job – as Judge of the Lake County Circuit Court. I have not spent my entire career negotiating the world of Lake County politics. What I bring to this campaign are excellent academic credentials, extensive legal and courtroom experience.

Please tell five of your Lake County friends about my campaign and ask them to call five of their friends. This election offers you many excellent, highly qualified candidates who are asking you for the opportunity to serve our community. We need to spread the word that the voters of Lake County have a real choice this November 2nd. The Lake County Circuit Court is a powerful position and the individual you elect should be carefully vetted and meet your highest standards. Your vote should be based on a candidate's merits and not simply on the familiarity of his name or blind party loyalty. You have already taken the first step in making that choice by visiting this website. Take the time to compare my opponent to me and then decide who is the better candidate. I hope I can count on your vote and your support.

P.S. Please visit my Facebook page, "William I. Fine for Judge," and show your support for my campaign. We reached 300 supporters by early August. Can we hit 400 by October 1?

William I. Fine for Judge