Big Money behind St Marys Judge candidate

[Koolman]

Originally Posted by smc33

I never mentioned Judge Stamm being poor. My point was that he was not born into money like Mattingly.
I'm pretty sure he drives an old pickup truck. Mattingly drives a BMW.

I have known Shane Mattingly's parents for over 40 years.
Alfred and Joan Mattingly. They live in Leonardtown.

Alfred Mattingly worked as a telephone repairman for C&P telephone Co
(now Verizon) for 30 some years and is now retired. (And he drives an older pickup truck everyday).
Joan Mattingly worked for the St Marys County Health Dept
for probably the same length of time. I believe she is retired also.
Are they Poor..........NO
Are they wealthy.....NO
I would say they are middle-class St Marys County people.
Better off than some not as well off as others.

Does Shane drive a BMW...........YES, if that makes any difference.
Most all the Lawyers I know make a pretty good living.

[tikipirate]

Originally Posted by Koolman

I have known Shane Mattingly's parents for over 40 years.
Alfred and Joan Mattingly. They live in Leonardtown.

Alfred Mattingly worked as a telephone repairman for C&P telephone Co
(now Verizon) for 30 some years and is now retired. (And he drives an older pickup truck everyday).
Joan Mattingly worked for the St Marys County Health Dept
for probably the same length of time. I believe she is retired also.
Are they Poor..........NO
Are they wealthy.....NO
I would say they are middle-class St Marys County people.
Better off than some not as well off as others.

Does Shane drive a BMW...........YES, if that makes any difference.
Most all the Lawyers I know make a pretty good living.

For some reason, I thought that Shane's dad was somehow involved in county politics, and that may have been a driving force?...?

Either way, Shane is a good guy. He is no genius, but he has a solid understanding of the law, and is very fair. He is the kind of guy who will properly adjudicate a case without 'reaching out' or being 'politically sensitive'. He is a real 'justice is blind' and 'just the facts, ma'am' kind of guy.

Shane does drive a 5 year old BMW 5 series. His car probably blue-books between $25K and $35K. But these days, half the county is driving cars in that price range. Maybe we can cut Shane some slack and acknowledge that he spent 4 years undergrad and 2 years plus to earn his JD and rewarded himself with a nice, but not vulgar, car.

[tikipirate]

...Speaking of vulgar cars...

What's the scoop on the young gentleman who works on base and drives a brand new $180K Bentley Continental?

It's not vulgar, in fact it is one of the most beautiful autos ever made. But someone with a security clearance driving a car like that gives me the Spock eyebrow.

[Bustem' Down]

Originally Posted by tikipirate

...Speaking of vulgar cars...

What's the scoop on the young gentleman who works on base and drives a brand new $180K Bentley Continental?

It's not vulgar, in fact it is one of the most beautiful autos ever made. But someone with a security clearance driving a car like that gives me the Spock eyebrow.

We had an E-3 with 2 years in and a security clearance driving a Jag. He hit a train one night and settled with the train company for a lot of money.

[smc33]

Yea I just brought up which cars they drove kind of as a joke, since that other guy made it seem like Judge Stamm was rich just because he bought waterfront property before it skyrocketed in value. Having a nicer car definitely does not mean youre wealthy. In a few years I'll probably be driving a BMW and I am by no means rich.

I havnt seen the Continental, but one day I saw a SLR McLaren ($400,000+) zoom by me. At first I thought 'what are they doing on 235 with that kind of car?' but then I thought to myself 'what are they even doing in SMC???' Didn't catch a glimpse of the driver but he must've been filthy rich.

[todd]

Originally Posted by smc33

I don't believe that a Judge who has been fully qualified and officially appointed should just be replaced by either of two private lawyers who have multiple times been found unqualified by the Judicial Nominating Committee. You may not agree with governor Ehrlich's appointment of Judge Stamm but he didn't hand pick him. A committee made up equally of lawyers appointed by the district (Calvert and SM), lawyers appointed by the governor, and citizens of the district deemed him qualified beforehand. For them not to have found both Sparling and Mattingly to not have been qualified for the position is something that makes me think.

Could you expand on this a little? My research into the candidates hasn't led me to the same conclusion as you (that Mr. Sparling and Mr. Mattingly were 'multiple times...found unqualified by the Judicial Nominating Committee').

Mr. Sparling did not put his name in for the Judicial Nominating Committee when Judge Kaminetz retired. He specifically mentions this in his letter to the editor announcing that he was filing for the election. See http://stmarystoday.com/sparling_files_for_election.htm. According to his letter, he was previously nominated three separate times, "in 1982 for the District Court, in 1985 for the Circuit Court seat to which Judge John Hanson Briscoe was appointed, and in 1989, along with Judge Marvin Kaminetz, Judge Clarke Raley and Judge John Slade, for the seat to which Judge Kaminetz was appointed". According to his letter, he made the decision to run for election rather than apply for the appointment because he is placing his "trust in the people rather than political insiders."

I haven't read anything specific on whether or not Mr. Mattingly put his name in for the nomination, so I can't comment on whether or not the committee found him qualified or not. Maybe you can point me to a reference that says he did (or did not).

I'm still undecided on who I'm going to vote for, but I don't think that people should vote for Judge Stamm just because he was appointed by the governor. It seems that the selection process is, or has become, very biased and politicized, and it should be, and is, up to the citizens of the county to select the candidate who is most qualified. It is very well known that the Judicial Nominating Committee has, in fact, revised their list of recommendations after 'feedback' from the governor. If the governor doesn't like any of the candidates on the list provided by the committee, they keep revising it until the nominee the governor favors is put on the list. That seems like the line of separation of power between the executive and judicial branches of Maryland is being blurred. I for one, think that the governor should choose from the original list of nominees, as recommended by the committee, and shouldn't be allowed to send the list back for revision. Basically, Judge Stamm might as well have been 'hand-picked' by the governor, because I think the process is flawed.

Just because Judge Stamm has been the sitting judge for 9 (+/-) months doesn't mean he is the most qualified of the three candidates. Looking at the qualifications and experience of the candidates, as referenced on their web sites, should give the voter more than enough information to make the right decision.

[kwillia]

Originally Posted by todd

Just because Judge Stamm has been the sitting judge for 9 (+/-) months doesn't mean he is the most qualified of the three candidates. Looking at the qualifications and experience of the candidates, as referenced on their web sites, should give the voter more than enough information to make the right decision.

I have just begun my research, but so far, I am impressed with Sparling, more so than Stamm.

[BushwoodGirl]

Michael Stamm accepting campaign donations from questionable sources is bad enough,
but to actually solicit large amounts of money and services from an outfit like the Seafarers Union
at Harry Lundeberg certainly shows a lack of the very ethics that a judicial candidate should embrace.

This episode along with his and Judge Abrams decision to recommend
to the legislators in Annapolis NOT TO ALLOW the 9000 registered Independent
and non affiliated voters the ability to vote in this St Mary's County Election
at the very least shows very poor JUDGEMENT on Stamms part.

These and other decisions he has made since being appointed
to the Court (only a few months ago) are more than enough reason for me to
NOT cast my VOTE for Circuit Court candidate Michael Stamm.

He may have been our Governor's first choice but he is not going to be my choice
when I cast my vote on Election Day. I think St Mary's County deserves better
and I will be voting for Shane Mattingly for Circuit Court Judge

[JOKER]

The Great Mills Road VOTER selection committee consisting of
all the registered voters in my apartment .........which is just me say:

STAMM................Nah... looks a little sleazy
SPARLING..........a pompous a**hole
MATTINGLY........Drives a BMW...(a fine automobile)

S U R V E Y - S A Y S
MATTINGLY .......Gets the Gavel

[kwillia]

Originally Posted by JOKER

The Great Mills Road VOTER selection committee consisting of
all the registered voters in my apartment .........which is just me say:

STAMM................Nah... looks a little sleazy
SPARLING..........a pompous a**hole
MATTINGLY........Drives a BMW...(a fine automobile)

S U R V E Y - S A Y S
MATTINGLY .......Gets the Gavel

Wait a minute... in order for this to be a fair and informed decision for the rest of us voters... shouldn't we be told what vehicles Stamm and Sparling drive?