Judge Burton Ledina is the sort of ethical jurist Sullivan County needs and deserves.
Re-electing him means voters get to choose the next Sullivan County Court judge three years from now instead of a decade hence. His youthful opponent seeks to use Ledina's age against him, which is ageist and unfair.
Unlike the opposition, Ledina offers the benefit of 40 years judicial experience.
His opponent says letting voters decide his replacement after Ledina retires will cost taxpayers extra money. This is false. Elections occur every November, and 2010 will be no different. Whether judge candidates are on the ballot or not will not increase taxpayers' outlay.
Judicial candidates should be truthful and fair.
Ledina's opponent lost a lawsuit seeking to wrest the Independence Party line from him. The candidate personally signed subpoenas hauling several ordinary voters into court for no good reason. These voters, it was already known, had cast absentee ballots for Ledina. The subpoenas were harassment and wrong. Case dismissed.
No wonder the Sullivan County Bar Association voted to support Ledina.
He garnered 75 "Highly Qualified" votes and 17 "Qualified" votes. His opponent got only nine "Highly Qualified" votes. Enough said.
Tom Rue
Monticello