BY MIKE CETERA
Leading up to the election, we'll post candidate questionnaires returned to us for contested Fox Valley elections. The candidates were instructed to respond to a series of questions regarding their race. Here are their answers.
Up now: the judicial race for the new Aurora subcircuit. Find their answers after the jump.
Five candidates are running in the contested Democratic primary.
Democrats
Paul Greviskes
Herb Hill: Did not respond
Jim Murphy
Renee Robinson
Mark Wade
Read background here.
See judicial evaluations here.
To correct Mr. Murphy’s reply we would like the reader to know that Mark Wade has been a resident of this city since 1986 when he was first hired to prosecute ordinance violations for the city of Aurora. In 2006, after the city’s law department was disbanded, Mark was immediately hired by the Kane County State’s Attorney’s office to continue his service to the public in the Aurora Branch Court.
As anyone who has been to the Aurora Branch Court knows it is not just a traffic court. It is the only courtroom in the subcircuit. Mark handles such matters as domestic violence orders of protection, crimes of violence, drug charges, thefts and bond calls for felonies up to and including murder.
With all due respect to Virgina Wade (Lang), the fact is Mark Wade has been primarily been a traffic ticket prosecutor for several years and apparently isn't competent to handle more serious matters.
Orders of protection are usually automatically granted and then referred for later hearing. Bond call for felonies has nothing to do with being able to prosecute or defend those cases, let alone judge them.
Mr. Wade has been a traffic ticket prosecutor for an extended period, which is usually handled by rookie or recent law grads as opposed to seasoned prosecutors.
My feeling is Mark Wade is lucky to have a job at all, but the other candidates (all of them) are immensely more qualified.
More than 2 decades of daily courtroom experience as Prosecutor in the Aurora Branch Court, the highest volume courtroom in the circuit and the only courtroom in the sub circuit. That’s experience. - The Honorable James Edwards, Retired 16th Circuit Judge, Aurora
I can't help but wonder if Linda has ever been in the Aurora Branch Court. Ask an attorney who has been in the Branch Court what type of case was up.