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P/CLOUDY 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 November 6, 2002 Purdy, Mejia lead for judge Charter remains optimistic that outlying areas will bring enough votes to elect him By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune In unofficial results released by election officials, Bill Purdy led Joe Charter in the race for Jackson County Circuit Court judge, Position 8, and Lorenzo Mejia led Allan Smith for Position 1. Purdy captured 53.9 percent of the votes cast in his race, but May’s close primary, which necessitated a runoff on Tuesday’s ballot, left him guarded this time around. "I’m cautiously optimistic," Purdy said. "It’s a much bigger lead than I ever had in the primary." Purdy, 68, and Charter, 44, faced one another in May’s primary election, but neither won a majority. Helping to split the vote was Walt Nunley, an 82-year-old write-in candidate who was older than the mandatory retirement age for judges and was not allowed on the ballot. With about 95 percent of the votes counted by 11 p.m. Tuesday, Purdy had received 27,493 votes and Charter had received 23,325; 231 voters wrote in other candidates. Charter remained hopeful that the uncounted votes might come from outlying areas of the county, where he felt he had strong support. By 9 p.m., Purdy already was planning to finish up projects he was working on as a private attorney and arbitrator to clear his plate for a new job on the bench. He said he would hit the books on criminal law to brush up his skills. Purdy graduated from the University of Iowa law school and has practiced law since 1966, handling mostly civil cases and some criminal cases. He was with Frohnmayer, Deatherage, Foster & Purdy from 1969 to 1979 and was a partner at Foster, Purdy, Allen, Peterson & Dahlin from 1980 to 2000. He also worked as Asante’s corporate counsel. He volunteers with Jackson County Legal Services and won a state bar award for providing 375 hours of free legal services in 2001. He also has served on boards of the American Red Cross, Rogue Valley Chapter, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He is a past president of the Jackson County Bar Association. In the other circuit-judge race, Lorenzo Mejia had won 31,083 votes, or 60.2 percent of those cast. Allan Smith had captured 20,357 votes, or 39.4 percent; 186 voters wrote in other candidates. "I’m happy to have the community’s support," Mejia said. "I’ll just continue to do my job to the best of my ability." Gov. John Kitzhaber appointed Mejia to the bench this summer when Ross Davis retired. Mejia graduated from the University of Oregon law school in 1986. He worked as a law clerk for a Lane County Circuit Court judge and as a research and contract compliance attorney for the Oregon Department of Transportation before spending 13 years as a public defender. Smith, a deputy district attorney, had highlighted his experience as a prosecutor and contrasted it with Mejia’s defense background. "I think people understood that I understand the difference between my role as a judge and my job as a public defender," Mejia said. "I would be disappointed in anybody from either side — prosecution or defense — that carried that role onto the bench. The judge isn’t a player for either side." Mejia, 48, has promised that each case before him will get a fair hearing. He said he will focus on creating sentences that will prevent future crimes and help people change their lives. Smith, 44, acknowledged that Mejia had a clear lead, but said the campaign had been a good experience for him. "I’ll continue to serve as a deputy DA and do the best job I can," he said. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4459. 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