Bar Gives Rielly High Marks, But Snubs Dellwo
When it comes to lawyers, distance makes the heart grow cold. Case in point: Dennis Dellwo’s snubbing by the Spokane County bar.
Dellwo, a state representative from Spokane, is challenging fledgling incumbent Neal Q. Rielly for a Superior Court seat.
The well-known challenger has been practicing law for nearly 25 years - longer than his opponent. But he has rarely been seen in court in recent years due to his heavy workload in Olympia.
That fact was tossed in Dellwo’s face Monday, when results of the county bar’s judicial candidate survey were announced.
Rielly received high marks in all four categories: legal ability, judicial temperament, integrity and legal experience. When the ratings were averaged, the judge scored 4.7 out of a possible 5.0.
Dellwo’s rating of 2.9 includes a high of 3.4 for integrity and a low of 2.4 for legal experience.
“I expected these results and I am pleased with my showing, especially since I’m not a courthouse insider,” Dellwo said.
“The results are deceptive in that they reflect that Neal is better known in the courthouse.”
While Dellwo views the bar poll as a popularity contest that traditionally favors incumbents in judicial races, Rielly accepted the results as a pat on the back for a job well done.
“I’m very gratified to the attorneys of Spokane County,” he said. “The seven years that I spent on the bench have been years of hard work.”
Questionnaires were sent to 1,000 lawyers, with 563 responding. Scores were compiled by Washington State University.
Rielly will use the results to boost his campaign between now and Election Day, but it remains unclear what weight, if any, voters give to the opinion of lawyers.
Last November, Spokane County voters brushed aside top finishers in bar polls to elect Superior Court Judge Tari Eitzen and re-elect District Court Judge Donna Wilson.
Rielly, 51, was appointed Sept. 20 by Gov. Mike Lowry to replace retired Judge Harold Clarke.
Dellwo, 50, wanted the appointment and had counted on Lowry, a fellow Democrat.
When the job went instead to Rielly, Dellwo decided to flex his political muscle and run for the seat. Both candidates are campaigning hard in the abbreviated race, ringing doorbells and airing TV spots.
Dellwo is a partner in Winston & Cashatt, a downtown law firm. He started his career as a public defender on an Indian reservation. In 1982, he was elected to the Legislature.
Rielly is a former Spokane divorce lawyer who was chosen by Superior Court judges to become a court commissioner. In his 6 years in that post, he ruled in hundreds of cases involving divorcing couples, juvenile offenders and the mentally ill.
The winner Nov. 7 fills the remaining year of Clarke’s term. The job pays about $99,000 a year.
, DataTimes