I was truly honored last week to receive the “Jim Slater Award for Professionalism in the Practice of Criminal Law.” Judge Peter Dubensky made the announcement at a meeting of the Sarasota County Bar Association held to celebrate law day. In his remarks, the Judge discussed a lawyer’s obligation to our constitutional process. While the client we represent may not always be on the right side, if we uphold the integrity of the courtroom and the rule of law, then all can know that justice was served. Jim Slater was a great lawyer who worked both as a prosecutor and public defender. He was a mentor to many young attorneys, including myself, and helped train a generation of capital attorneys throughout the State of Florida. Jim was also a friend of mine and if I never accomplish anything else, I will always have this honor to reflect upon.
On Thursday, June 5th, the Sarasota Tiger Bay will host the first debate of the Public Defender campaign. Tiger Bay is a long-standing political club with hundreds of members in Sarasota and similar clubs throughout the state. Marge Baldwin is the local moderator and she prepares a variety of questions that she peppers the candidates with over lunch. The floor is then opened to Marge’s “Tigers” who are not shy about grilling politicians with questions that are sometimes loaded for maximum impact. I have never been up on the Tiger Bay rostrum before and I am looking forward to the experience.
Finally, I would like to encourage anyone interested in local politics to come to Selby Five Points park this Friday, June 5th at 3:00 pm. There will be a rally to kick-off the summer campaign season that should be fun and interesting. If you come, you will be able to hear from candidates like Christine Jennings for U.S. Congress, Morgan Bentley for Florida State Senate, Keith Fitzgerald for Florida House of Representatives, Barry Sullivan for Supervisor of Elections, Jono Miller for Sarasota County Commissioner, and a number of others. You might also get to meet a certain candidate for Public Defender for the Twelfth Judicial Circuit. I hope to see you then and there.
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