Superior Court, County Assessor

Ventura County voters on Nov. 3 will decide runoff elections for a Superior Court judgeship and for county assessor.

Here are The Times’ endorsements:

Superior Court Judge

Two outstanding candidates stand ready to take over the gavel of suspended Judge Robert Bradley. Both Chief Assistant Dist. Atty. Kevin McGee and Deputy Public Defender Gary Windom possess the skill, experience and personal integrity to make a fine judge.

A 16-year veteran of the district attorney’s office, McGee is endorsed by most of the county’s law enforcement officials and judges. Windom is a Ventura College of Law professor who has practiced civil law for 10 years and has been a public defender for 13 years.

In such a close contest, we believe it is appropriate to consider the widely held perception that the Ventura County Courthouse is a private club in which only alumni of the district attorney’s office are welcome on the bench. More than half of the court’s 26 full-time judges are former prosecutors. We believe the public would be better served by a wider range of perspectives.

The Times endorses Gary Windom.

County Assessor

Who will oversee the department that decides how much your property is worth--and hence how much you owe the tax collector?

Tax-law specialist James Dodd joined the assessor’s office 19 years ago and has worked there ever since. Dan Goodwin got his start in that same office as an 18-year-old Ventura College student. But 16 years ago, after eight years there, Goodwin went on to found his own appraisal firm in Oxnard.

Although Dodd has extensive knowledge about how the department currently operates, we like Goodwin’s mix of public- and private-sector experience, fresh vision and enthusiasm. He vows to get the office up to speed with the technological tools already familiar to private-sector appraisers.

The Times endorses Dan Goodwin.