Charles Wolff vs Tom Schlee for Ulysses Town Justice

I was initially disappointed to hear that Charles Wolff (a registered Democrat) was seeking the Republican Party's nomination, because it has always been my opinion that a relatively uninformed public will defer to party affiliation before taking the time to study a candidate's position on the issues. If the various political parties strictly enforced adherence to party platforms, and if these parties never allowed members of other parties to run on their ballot lines, then it would be nearly treason for candidates to cross party lines, but that is not our present situation. Since we have representatives locally and nationally whose values sometimes contradict the platforms of the parties that helped get them into office, we as voters are required to look a little closer at candidates, than simple party affiliation.


An odd conflict exists within NY State Law. Judicial candidates are not supposed to be partisan, yet they are essentially required to seek the support of political parties. Mr. Wolff has been criticized for lack of "loyalty to the Democratic Party". I believe Mr. Wolff is driven by principals which he considers more important than party loyalty. (I know I am)

I was at the Ulysses Democratic Party meetings when Charles Wolff and Tom Schlee explained their reasons for wanting the position, and described their experience and qualifications. I was impressed by Tom Schlee, and I think he would make a good Justice. But Charles Wolff is clearly the better qualified of the two, and would make a great Justice. Charles Wolff is a licensed attorney with thousands of hours of courtroom experience, he is a member of the NY Bar, and a graduate of law school. Tom Schlee is none of these things. I don't understand how voters can ignore this huge difference between the candidates. The New York State Unified Court System is trying to put more attorneys on local benches. (in fact new NYSUCS rules will soon give defendants the right to have their cases heard before a judge that is an attorney) This is why Charles Wolff is running. He explained this at the Democratic Caucus when he was seeking the Democratic Party nomination, but there were a lot of old friends of Tom Schlee in the room, and he got the nomination. Charles Wolff saw the likelihood of this outcome months ago, and asked for the nominations of other parties. Should we hold this against him? Is party loyalty the most important factor here?

Tom Schlee was a friend of our much loved, recently deceased, Justice Christine Springer, and he uses this to great effect in his campaigning. This is true, but he neglects to mention that Charles Wolff was also a friend of hers and it was at her suggestion that he joined the Tompkins County Assigned Counsel Program whereby he often provides services to clients who can't afford expensive services, for greatly reduced cost, or no cost.

I have always voted Democratic. This will be the first time that I have ever voted on the Republican line. I wish that our world were simpler, because I know that it's hard for voters to find the time to educate themselves fully before voting, but it is my hope that many voters will make the effort. Obviously, there are other extremely important races to be decided on the ballot in November, but most of us have already made up our minds how we will vote on the presidential race. Please take the time to go to Charles Wolff's website www.podunklaw.com where you will find more information on this important campaign.