Voting is underway. I thank you if you have already voted, and ask others to click this link and follow the prompts for a PIN to complete the voting process.
In the meantime, campaign emails are going out from myself and my opponent, Jay Kim.
By far the most humorous response I’ve personally received to date is pictured below. It’s from none other than Merrilee Ehrlich, who is understandably no fan of the blog that hastened her retirement:
Interestingly, Jay Kim’s most recent email advert arrived today with the subject header Survey: Members of The Florida Bar give it the highest rating ever, and the following claim:
My efforts have helped The Florida Bar achieve its all-time highest rating from its members who participated in the 2019 Florida Bar Membership Opinion Survey. An overwhelming 82 percent of Bar members have rated The Florida Bar as an “excellent” or “good” advocate for the legal profession, the highest rating ever received for this question.
(emphasis added)
That threw me off guard, since so many members have been offering up their particular Bar horror stories to me since voting started, in addition to the usual complaints. Accordingly, I sent a public records request to TFB to see what the survey’s methodology was, and was informed thusly:
In December 2019, The Florida Bar sent an online survey link to a random sample of 3,850 in-state and out-of-state, eligible members. By the cut-off date of December 23, 2019, the Bar had received 1,022 completed questionnaires, for a response rate of 27%. This response rate is quite acceptable for this type of lengthy online survey. Although 1,022 questionnaires were returned, not all questions were answered by all respondents. Therefore, some percentages are based upon the actual number of individuals who responded to that particular question.
(emphasis added)
TFB and Jay obviously believe this methodology is sound, even with a 27% partial participation rate of a small random sample, when there were 93,061 eligible members at the time of the survey. I personally think it’s junk science, especially given the fact so many people I know are furious with the Bar, or at least apathetic, and would never bother to vote in elections, let alone fill out a survey.
What do you think? Are you happy with the Bar’s disciplinary arm practices? Are you happy with the current judicial appointment process? Do you think the Bar is doing enough to combat institutional racism and the lack of diversity on the bench? Do you think Florida’s legal system is esteemed and respected by the general public? And even if some members think the Bar is doing a “good” job, shouldn’t we be doing better?
Please review my positions here, and click this link to get your PIN and vote. Abstaining means more of the same, as my opponent enjoys institutional support, which cannot be overcome if there isn’t high voter turnout. Lastly, if you don’t like things shaken up, then please support my opponent. But whatever you do, please vote!
Bill Gelin
(Disclaimer/Unsolicited Mass Communications – anyone subscribed to JAABLOG not wishing to receive blogs regarding Bill Gelin’s candidacy for BOG Seat 17/1 of the Florida Bar should immediately UNSUBSCRIBE to JAABLOG)
Was the survey anonymous? Or tied to the lawyer?
Who is auditing the votes? Is the Bar to be trusted counting the votes?
I voted in 9 states so far today and didn’t see Kim or Gelin on any ballot.
Merilee’s neck brace is in the Judicial Hall of Fame.
She certainly didn’t like working weekends.
Bad = If good is the highest rating ever.
Jay Kim for Judge McCarthy.
Satisfaction w the bar probably depends on one’s field or area of expertise within the law.
Those numbers are not true. I’ve never met one lawyer who was happy with the BAR. Everyone who doesn’t vote is just at fault.
The numbers are a result of TFB’s entrenched witchcraft.
They have their sycophant mob. That’s it. Backscratcharama.
Kim’s efforts? What did he do specifically to make it the best ever?
She had a run in with Tooty when he was going to transfer her to another division and thus the tiff that led to her mental outburst is what I heard. As far as her personality, she was always a whack from the beginning and only got worse.
Just a old yenta that got progressively worse with age like so many other whacks when their hormones dry up and they go crazy.
We’ve seen plenty of it with judges in Broward. Often leads to drinking or self-medicating problems and then to car wrecks or freak out sessions on the bench. They should retire them at 40 and save the rest of us all the drama.
You may have something there ! Lol. What does your argument say about this old crank ?
EXAMPLE OF HORMONAL IMBALANCE
AFTER HORMONE THERAPY
Rock and roller with a special talent that nobody wants …
THE BAR IS FULL OF INCOMPETENT WANNABE POLITICAL HACKS THAT CAN’T HOLD DOWN A JOB ANYWHERE ELSE
I CAST MY VOTE FOR GELIN WHO ISNT AFRAID TO SHINE THE HIGH BEAMS ON CORRUPTION AND INEPTITUDE AND WATCH THE ROACHES SCATTER
THERE WAS NOTHIN WRONG WITH MY HORMONES
her whoremoans are fine–bring on the witnesses…
The Bar is an OUTHOUSE full of lots and lots of little shits. Fla const. provides absolutely NO oversight or accountability to anything butt itself under the stupid fraudulent, false guise of “trust us, we are lawyers and have integrity.” Even the S. Ct provides a means, however false and misleading to give an appearance of oversight: “How to Complaint About the JQC,” where the Bar has NONE. I have a stack of Bar complaints describing and documenting specific felony criminal misconduct, including collusion with garbage like Gardiner long before one finally took, all of which were summarily dismissed without investigation. In fact, when the Bar dismissed any complaint, not only was their “appellate” process accessed, but a complaint was filed against the Bar investigator for failing and refusing to investigate according to their own rules, the same way the JQC refused to investigate a complaint v. Gardiner when she was still the fair pussy-haired Hispanic vagina Butterworth plucked, promised, promoted and protected and so many fucked along the way. All one has to do is track the history of the Disciplinary arm and administrators as well as the Rules committee as well as the Choice of presidents over the last at least 25 years, and the proof of truth is there. So Bill, WTF do you think you’re going to do about it–what is YOUR “Platform?”
He won’t win.
I’m ready!
Vote RICHARD BRIAN KAPLAN – the hungry dog – for judge. Ensuring liberty and insane ranting for all.
he could beat chief easy
Why are some judges so inflexible when it comes to trial schedule. Why can’t a judge accommodate attorneys. Is it so bad to start an hour late. Or end an hour early. Or go into an extra day of jury selection. Or give an attorney until the following day to gather their thoughts before closing arguments?
They also let the state choose which case to go first on when a person has more than one. They always pick the slam dunk and then they lose anyway because the state is incompetent.
No defense attorneys walk into court every morning with a box, or two, full of cases.
Case count case count case count case counttttttttt
Here.
https://www.browardbeat.com/broward-blogger-bill-gelin-runs-for-bar-post/
WE DON’T HAVE ANY PSYCHIATRIC PROBLEMS
BROWARD JUDGES – A BREED ALL THEIR OWN
A pot smoking judge within feet of an elementary school, alcoholic sex addicted bimbos with major problems with telling the truth, a crybaby fruitcake who was taking advantage of old ladies for monetary gain, a certified total nut job, and oh, I almost forgot, one that lost her pants at a Judicial Conference and never did find her cowboy …
No psychological problems among judges in the 17th Judicial Circuit.
Sarah Boone for Broward Judge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOIMFs9-ZHc
These people are sick.