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HAZE Temp: 48 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, November 21, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend October 10, 2002 Attorneys in county support Mejia The interim judge wins a bar poll over a prosecutor who wants to replace Ross Davis By DANI DODGE Mail Tribune Jackson County attorneys overwhelmingly chose Circuit Judge Lorenzo Mejia over Deputy District Attorney Allan Smith, who wants Mejia’s post, according to a poll released this week. Thirty-one attorneys said they want Smith to replace retired Judge Ross Davis, while 136 chose Mejia. "I’m very gratified that in a secret ballot I got a 4-to-1 ratio on my opponent," Mejia said, who was appointed to Davis’ position on an interim basis four months ago. "I think that clearly shows the support of the legal community — I will continue in my efforts to turn that into support of the community as a whole." Mejia and Smith are running for Jackson County Circuit Court judge position No. 1 in the Nov. 5 election. The mail-in ballots for the general election will begin going out Oct. 18. Before each judicial election, the Oregon State Bar polls its members about their preferences. There were 286 attorneys polled over the past few weeks in the Mejia-Smith race. The polls closed Monday. Sixty-one percent of Jackson County attorneys returned ballots. The bar relied on an earlier poll to gauge preferences in the race for Jackson County Circuit Court position No. 8, Jackson County’s newest judgeship. In the spring, the Oregon State Bar polled the 278 attorneys registered in the county. Ninety-one chose attorney Bill Purdy and 44 chose attorney Joe Charter. It was a 48.6 percent turnout, which is still more than the statewide average turnout of about 30 percent. But because neither Purdy nor Charter won a majority of votes in the primary — a write-in candidate upset the close election — they were forced to run again in the general election. "The rules say we need to repeat the poll if there’s a major change in who is running," said bar spokeswoman Kateri Walsh. "But since it was just in April we polled and the exact same two candidates are running again, we are just repeating the earlier results." In that poll, Charter — the Jackson County Bar president — blamed his loss on not being as well known as his opponent. Purdy has been an attorney in Jackson County 23 years longer than Charter. In the Mejia-Smith race, Smith said even before the poll came out that he didn’t expect to win. He said Mejia’s campaign team includes top area lawyers and retired Judge Ross Davis. He also noted that Mejia was a former public defender and said there are more defense attorneys than prosecutors in the valley. "And any time you challenge a judge who has been appointed, it’s likely the legal community will solidify behind the judge," Smith said. For detailed information on the judicial candidates go to www.osbar.org on the Web and click on "Judicial Election Voter’s Guide." Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S