Superior Court Judgeship

I am a civil business and real estate trial lawyer and have been practicing for more than 25 years. I support law and order and am proud of having been a prosecutor. I also know and respect both candidates for judge.

I support Gary Windom. He is a talented lawyer with both substantial civil and criminal experience. He also knows that the prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges have different roles. You do not want your judge to also be your prosecutor. You want your judge to be balanced, understanding that some are guilty, some are not.

Both Gary Windom and Kevin McGee are good men. I have to reject, however, the argument that we are better off filling judgeships with prosecutors because they come to the job with a predisposition to put all persons accused of crime in jail for as long as possible, and that a defense lawyer who has done his job ethically is automatically unfit merely because of that role.

We should elect our judges from lawyers who have performed their former role well, whichever one it was, but understand that a judge does not perform the duties of either. Just hope that if your son or daughter is ever wrongly accused, their judge will understand that difference.

MICHAEL W. CASE, Ventura

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The Ventura County Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee supports Kevin McGee for Superior Court judge. All of us know Mr. McGee through his work in the District Attorney’s office.

The primary reason we support Mr. McGee is his outstanding ethical behavior, fairness in prosecutorial matters and exemplary demeanor in every aspect of his personal and professional life. As law enforcement leaders, we respect those who work hard to protect the rights of all the members of our communities. The cities in Ventura County expect quality leadership in public safety and require our judges to be fair and impartial.

We have all experienced the outstanding dedication to service that Mr. McGee has given Ventura County as the chief assistant district attorney. We know his work ethic and admire his abilities as an attorney and a defender of public safety.

Whether he comes from the prosecutor’s office or the public defender’s office seems to be a major issue with some; it is not the main issue. We know Kevin McGee, and know he has the highest standards and will serve our communities’ best interests through his high ethical standards. His background has demonstrated his straightforward approach to prosecuting defendants, and his fairness to all is apparent.

WALTER ADAIR, Santa Paula Police Chief

RANDY G. ADAMS, Simi Valley Police Chief

MICHAEL D. BRADBURY, Ventura County District Attorney

ROBERT BROOKS, Ventura County Sheriff

STEVE R. CAMPBELL, Port Hueneme Police Chief

JOHN CROMBACH, Oxnard Acting Police Chief

RICHARD F. THOMAS, Ventura Police Chief

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Voters, beware the dangerous views expressed by Kevin McGee in his run for Ventura County Superior Court judge, according to the Oct. 22 edition of The Times.

Attempting to discredit his opponent, public defender Gary Windom, McGee said that public defenders’ mission is to “help people avoid responsibility for criminal conduct.” Wrong! Remember innocent until proven guilty? Who needs public defenders? Those who can’t afford to pay. According to McGee the poor, as a class, are guilty. No candidate who expresses such an attitude should be allowed to sit on any court anywhere.

McGee also sneers at Windom because, although Windom pledges to enforce the death penalty, McGee wants him to do so with more enthusiasm.

Finally, McGee says voters would not trust a judge who has been a defense attorney (meaning Windom). Nonsense! It’s still true that we voters want “liberty and justice for all.”

When it comes to the qualities we most need in a judge, i.e. dispassionate impartiality and an uncompromising adherence to due process, Kevin McGee strikes out. I’m voting for Windom.

JIM DEERHAWK, Ojai