WILBRAHAM – Democratic candidates for Governor’s Council Mary Hurley and Jeffrey Morneau brought different viewpoints about the state judiciary to the table during a forum hosted by the Wilbraham Democratic Town Committee on June 20.

The forum was moderated by David Chivers, a member of the Democratic Town Committee and a lawyer with Chivers Law Offices. Each candidate was allowed an opening and closing statement at four minutes each, and a response time of two minutes for questions posed by the moderator and the audience.

Chivers explained the Massachusetts Governor’s Council is composed of eight individuals elected from districts across the Commonwealth. Councilors make decisions about confirming governor-nominated candidates as judges as well as members of the parole board, clerk magistrates, and public administrators.

Hurley and Morneau are running for a seat in the 8th District, currently held by former Springfield mayor Michael Albano, who is running for sheriff of Hampden County.

Morneau, president of the Hampden County Bar Association, said during his introductory speech he believes the Governor’s Council race isn’t about he and his opponent, but the community.

“Judges, they play a critical role in the community and in the lives of every individual that comes before them,” he noted. “Whether it be a decision on bail, a decision on sentencing, a decision on a landlord or tenant’s rights or a decision with regard to custody or visitation with a child, justice, real justice, begins and ends with a judge.”

Hurley, a former Springfield mayor, five-term city councilor, and retired judge, said she’s dedicated her life to public service.

“We need judges who have experience, integrity, honesty, and intelligence,” she explained. “They have to be able to interpret and apply the law to the facts as they are given. They need to be in possession of judicial temperament. I think that’s critical. They need to have compassion, decisiveness, common sense, fairness, but firmness, humility, patience, tact, and understanding. After being a judge, I think I can recognize those qualities.”

One question posed by the moderator asked candidates what they thought the biggest challenges facing the judiciary are and how they would address those challenges.

Morneau said one of the challenges in Hampden County is how busy the court system is.

“In Hampden County, we have one of the most busy court systems, the district court and the superior court, so there is a concern about the lack of judges and positions that need to be filled. What I would do about that is I would advocate with the people that are involved in making the decision to fill those positions as quickly as possible with judges,” he explained.

He added there is a statutory cap of 158 judges throughout the state.         

Hurley responded by stating the lack of judges is something she’s been talking about for years and was one of main factors she decided to run for Governor’s Council.

“I felt it on a daily basis,” she explained. “I was in a position where I had to run two sessions at Chicopee District Court when we had a jury week. So I would do the jury session then I would go back to the primary session, then I’d go back to the jury session … I knew that we had a shortage of judges, but what really got me folks, and what should get you too, is that in October of 2014 … there were 15 vacancies statewide. Ten of those vacancies were here in Western Mass. I found that to be outrageous for district court vacancies.”

Hurley said she intends to “knock on the Governor’s door” if elected by advocating for more judges in Western Massachusetts.

“We’ve got the busiest district court in the state,” she noted. “We’re supposed to have six to seven judges there every day. I can tell you it never happened … We were lucky to get four or five, tops.”

Morneau responded to Hurley by stating the vacancies are not in Hampden County Superior District Court.

“These vacancies that my opponent refers to have been vacant for a long time because someone at the highest level of the administrative office of the trial court decided that they don’t need to be filled due to work load.”

Hurley fired back at Morneau, adding, “My opponent is absolutely wrong. You ask Billy Boyle, the first justice of the Springfield District Court, how many people he has for judges day in and day out.”

Candidates also voiced their opinions about Governor Charlie Baker’s Supreme Judicial Court judge nominations, which includes Kimberly Budd, Frank Gaziano, and David Lowy.

Hurley said she believes all three individuals are qualified for the job, but they should be “totally and completely vetted.”

She added, “We don’t want to make any mistakes with the most important judicial in the state of Massachusetts. I have the ability to pick up the phone and check any nominee out anywhere in the state. We’re not just going to be voting on people from Western Mass.”

Morneau said he considers the governor’s nominees to be qualified due to the high level of vetting completed prior to their names coming before the Governor’s Council.

He explained he would ask them questions on social issues such as their stances on the death penalty, same sex marriage, and a woman’s right to choose.  

Both candidates voiced their opposition to electing judges, stating that it would become a political issue.

Hurley noted that she believes term limits for judges could be explored in the Commonwealth.

One question from the audience asked candidates if they would not be in favor of any judicial appointments made in the last four years.

“There’s not a single one that I would not have approved,” Morneau noted. “I know all of them.”

Hurley said she believes the candidates have been “quality people” and struggling with the Commonwealth’s issue regarding lack of judges.

“The issue that does come to the fore is the fact that the current Governor’s Councilor has not seen fit to give us enough judges to do the job,” she explained in reference to Albano.

The Democratic primary for Governor’s Council is set to take place Sept. 8.

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