To the Editor:

I once again find myself in the uncomfortable position of writing a letter of apology.

As a member of the board of the Conservative party of St. Lawrence County, I am frankly appalled at what has transpired in the race for Family Court Judge.

Usually a political party will vet candidates for the position. As I stated before, New York State, who has the worst election laws in the country, says a county judge candidate can circulate petitions without party approval.

A law that we as a board were unaware of, and in fact has never been mentioned until now because of its obscurity. So as usual, the Conservative Party endorsed a candidate, only to have this law brought to our attention after the fact.

Since this has happened, the manner in which things have been handled has been for lack of a better term childish.

Also the public has been told many false statements.

First of all, Cecily Morris was not unanimously endorsed by the Conservative Party.

She was endorsed by a small number of the board who were able to attend the meeting that night.

Second of all, Andrew Moses did not circulate a Conservative Petition until after he was falsely accused of doing so, and the previously mentioned law was brought to light.

Third of all, there are members of the board, myself included, that felt all along that there should be a primary and let the registered conservatives of the county choose their candidate.

Since this was brought to light, the disparaging treatment of Andrew Moses is indicative of why most people hate getting involved in politics.

I however must commend Mr. Moses for being a gentleman and a professional through all of this.

The election of judges is one of the most critical votes we as taxpayers can make.

Not only is a judicial term 10 years, the decisions judges make are precedents that decide cases in other courts for many years.

This letter is in no way an endorsement for Mr. Moses. As previously stated I will not endorse either candidate in this race.

What I truly hope is that the voters of this county will ignore political rhetoric, and partisan politics, and look at each candidate’s professional qualifications.

For in this instance your vote has long lasting ramifications.

In closing, I would again like to apologize to Mr. Moses for the unwarranted attacks by members of the Conservative party. And also thank him for the professional and positive manor in which he has dealt with them.

Russ Finley

Canton