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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Tuesday, July 22, 2008 Snohomish County lawyers rate candidates for Superior Court judge By Diana Hefley Herald Writer EVERETT -- In the county's two Superior Court judicial races, a seated judge and a deputy prosecuting attorney earned the highest marks in a poll of Snohomish County lawyers. Superior Court Judge Eric Lucas and deputy prosecutor George Appel earned the top ratings from fellow lawyers in a Snohomish County Bar Association poll. Lucas is vying to keep his place on the bench. His opponent, former Superior Court Judge David Hulbert, lost the seat to Lucas in 2004. The two-person race is on the ballot for the primary election next month. If one candidate earns a majority vote, the race won't be included on the general election ballot. In the second race, Appel is up against attorneys Jim Johanson and Joe Wilson. The trio are after the seat now held by Judge Richard Thorpe, who is retiring. Only 181 of the eligible 620 county lawyers voted in the poll, said Joyce Wood, executive director of the Snohomish County Bar Association. The poll rated the candidates in two ways. Participants were asked to rate the candidates from "excellent" to "unknown." They also were asked who was their first, second or third preference for the position. The candidates were given points accordingly. Lucas earned 477 points in the weighted system. That turned out to be about 49 more points than his opponent. Hulbert earned one more "excellent" vote than Lucas. Hulbert also had 81 "unsatisfactory" rankings compared with Lucas' 57. Lawyers gave Appel 407 points and the most "excellent" votes. Wilson, an Everett attorney, earned the second largest number of points at 375 and Johanson, an Edmonds attorney, came in at 304 points. Appel had 60 "excellent" rankings, Wilson 41 and Johanson 31. Johanson had the most "unsatisfactory" rankings at 67, Wilson had 41 and Appel 22. The association had to mail out a second ballot after an error was discovered on the first. Some attorneys raised questions about the accuracy of the poll. They worry that some lawyers ignored the second ballot, thinking they had already voted. Letters were mailed out to bar association members that explained the need to vote again, association president Hal Hupp said. Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.

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