Judge Bruce Boyer: A New Broom Sweeps Clean, but an Old Broom Knows Every Corner

by Haydee Oropesa

Recently I was paid a pleasant surprise visit by Judge Bruce Boyer to my office and had an opportunity to briefly chat with him before a scheduled Judicial Forum that I was helping to host.  I told Judge Boyer that I had not yet decided on who I would vote for but that I would hear both candidates at the forum and that I would properly vet each before I cast my vote.  Jon Newlon, a local attorney, is challenging Judge Boyer and states that he is doing it primarily because Judge Boyer, who will turn 70 during his 6 year term, will not be able to serve the full term (because of age term limit) if he wins and then the seat will be filled by appointment by the Governor (thorough the JNC process, read about it here and watch video informational here) rather than an election where the people decide.  In fact Newlon posted this message on his Facebook campaign page,

“As many of you know, I have made the somewhat unpopular decision to run a campaign against an incumbent. I want to be very clear that this is not a decision based on any negative sentiment about my opponent, whom I understand to be a decent man and reasonable judge.”

The Tampa Tribune endorsed Judge Boyer and stated,

“Boyer is a capable judge who has served the community well for nearly 25 years. If he wins and retires at age 70, the governor will appoint a replacement who will later stand for election, a relatively common circumstance. Boyer can then serve as a senior judge after retirement, which he would not be able to if he isn’t re-elected. There is no reason the public should lose out on his valuable bench experience. For Circuit Judge, Group 35, we recommend Bruce Boyer.”

After thorough and thoughtful consideration, I have decided to vote to re-elect Judge Boyer for the following reasons:

• Judge Boyer was elected by the people already in 1990 and is not a “political appointment”.  If Newlon maintains that this is a PRO-VOTER issue, the people have already chosen Boyer once.  Judge Boyer has a track record, Newlon does not.  If the only issue is the JNC appointing someone after Judge Boyer retires, that is not a strong enough basis for me.  We can have a qualified judge with a spotless reputation for a portion of 6 years and just maybe the JNC process will find a suitable replacement for the remainder of the term (who will then be up for election) or we can vote for someone who has no track record and possibly be stuck for 6 years.  If the JNC gets it wrong we can correct the matter at the voting booth.
• Jon Newlon may turn out to be an excellent judge and I admire him for running against an incumbent (Newlon is right that is an unpopular move (unfortunately) and I would have definitely supported him had there been any indication that Judge Boyer had not well served the people.  I briefly interacted with Newlon and he seems like a personable individual and his bio reads well but although he criticizes the JNC process he does not articulate exactly how it fails in its selection process.
• I checked to see who endorsed Judge Boyer, here is the list.  Either I am missing it but I have not found a committee list or supporters group for Jon Newlon. Please excuse me if it is out there. If there is such a list, I will immediately supplement this article and link to the same.
• His Honor should be given a last term in honor of having served the public well for 24 years. Someone with that background and reputation should not be deprived of the opportunity to later continue to well serve the people as a Senior Judge.
• Finally, it did not hurt that Judge Boyer decided to reach out to me (the voter) personally.
• I have inquired from colleagues about Judge Boyer and a local attorney and friend Attorney Robert Tager states,

“Judge Boyer was always prepared for my hearings and always understood the issues.  His temperament was always very judicial and he always gave all sides a chance to fully put on their case even if it extended outside the scheduled time.  Judge Boyer’s rulings have always been based on the law and facts.”

To learn more about Judge Bruce Boyer please visit his campaign website.  Please vote on August 26, 2014.