Elect Richard Mott To Supreme Court On Tuesday

My friend, Richard Mott, has received the Democratic and Working Families nominations for Supreme Court Judge in this area of upstate New York. The Supreme Court is New York's top trial court. It has trial jurisdiction over many kinds of important civil cases. And the district here covers seven counties: Albany, Rensselaer, Greene, Columbia, Ulster, Sullivan, and Schoharie.

Richard is an experienced trial lawyer and father to five children. He was raised in Ulster County and now lives in Columbia County. This is his first election. I have known him for 25 years or more, and I consider him an honest, fair, impartial, talented candidate for judicial office. I am happy to be able to vote for him and support his candidacy.

A very little bit about him:

A native of Esopus in Ulster County, Richard Mott has resided in Columbia County since 1976 in the Town of Kinderhook. He has been in private practice at his Albany office since 1982. Mott also served in the Columbia County Public Defender’s Office from 1982 to 1987. He was the Kinderhook town attorney from 1984 to 1986 and has extensive experience in all phases of the law. He's also a veteran and a former special education teacher.

The race he is in is a four-way race. There are two Republican incumbents and two Democratic challengers. The top two vote getters are elected. Richard has been found Qualified for the job by the Independent Judicial Screening Committee. But because it's a judicial election, there is very little he can say about his views. Or about his incumbent opponents, who were appointed (and not elected in a contested election) to Supreme Court fourteen years ago.

Obviously, getting the word about this wonderful candidate out in a 7-county area is an enormous, time consuming, expensive undertaking. This is a sprint. The election is on Tuesday, November 6.

Richard deserves and needs your support. It's an undertaking you can help along by sending a donation of any size to:

Committee to Elect Richard Mott to Supreme Court P.O. Box 112 Kinderhook, NY 12106

But far more important than the money at this late stage, is your vote. Please vote for Richard Mott for Supreme Court on Tuesday. There are also good reasons why voting for Richard should NOT be and is not a partisan issue. This is important if you are a Greene or Columbia County voter. As I wrote in a Letter to the Editor to the Hudson Register Star,

On election day voters in Columbia and Greene counties enjoy the rare opportunity of electing their own resident Supreme Court Judge in the seven county Third Judicial District ... Richard Mott of Kinderhook.

Although each county within the district has a Supreme Court, only the three largest, Albany, Rensselaer and Ulster, have their own resident Supreme Court Judges. Albany has 8; Rensselaer and Ulster have 4 each. Columbia and Greene counties have none. In fact, Columbia hasn't had a resident Supreme Court Judge since 2006; Greene, since 2002. These counties have had to depend exclusively upon periodic visits by judges from the three largest counties to resolve their local disputes. This inequitable distribution of judges within the district clearly delays justice to the residents of the smaller counties within the district. But if prominent trial attorney, Richard Mott, is elected to the Supreme Court, the administration of justice in both Columbia and Greene counties will be significantly enhanced and local dispute resolution will be expedited because Richard would sit in Supreme Court in Hudson, and very likely, in Catskill. Richard Mott has been rated qualified for this position by the Independent Judicial Election Qualifications Commission. I urge you to vote for Richard Mott for Supreme Court Justice on November 6.

Please join me in voting for Richard Mott on Tuesday. It doesn't matter what line you use to vote for him. But it does make a world of difference who you vote for in this race.