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Judge Hopefuls Work To Win Vote Verdict

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By TODD LESKANIC

tleskanic@tampatrib.com

Published: October 25, 2008

When reached last week, both Susan Gardner and Robert Angus Williams were out on the campaign trail trying to sway voters in Pasco and Pinellas counties.

Judging from the results of August's primary, Williams has a lot more swaying to do if he hopes to defeat Gardner in the race to replace retiring Circuit Judge Wayne Cobb.

Cobb, 72, has reached the mandatory retirement age after more than 30 years on the bench.

Gardner received 42 percent of the August vote to Williams' 33 percent. The contest was forced to a runoff in the general election because Gardner did not receive the required 50 percent. The two-plus months between elections gives Williams time to regroup for another shot at the electorate.

But will it be enough?

"I think it's pretty much impossible to know," Williams said. "With the volume that's turning out at early voting this election, it's anybody's guess."

Gardner, a 46-year-old lawyer with the Pasco-Pinellas Public Defender's Office, isn't assuming that her 11-point win in the primary means she will win this time. If anything, Gardner has been more organized and dogged in phase two of her campaign.

"I got a little more money after my showing in the primary," she said. "Plus, my cousin stepped up as my campaign manager and she's very organized and retired so she is really pushing me. I basically know what I have to do this time. I was kind of clueless in the primary and just overwhelmed."

Williams, 38, a land-use lawyer and partner with the firm Fowler White Boggs Banker, has run a well-funded campaign with help from a pair of well-known consultants. He has received endorsements over Gardner from The Tampa Tribune and the St. Petersburg Times and has spent more than $112,000 on his campaign. Gardner has spent about $15,000 thus far.

Some in the know have said that at least part of Gardner's success has come from the fact that women often win over men in judicial elections. When asked about it, Williams said he wasn't sure what to make of the theory.

"What I can tell you is that when I was a prosecutor, I made every decision I ever made based on the facts," he said. "And it didn't have anything to do with someone's race or sex or religion."

Williams, who lives in Palm Harbor with his wife and two children, said he expects voters to evaluate the candidates the same way.

After graduating from law school in 1995, Williams went to work as a prosecutor with the State Attorney's Office. In 1999, he left the public sector and was hired at Fowler White, where he has made his name working in civil law involving primarily developers and landowners. Williams touts his breadth of experience - civil, criminal, public and private - as his main advantage over Gardner.

Gardner, who lives in Hudson with her three sons, worked as a civil lawyer for seven years following her graduation from law school in 1999. She joined the Public Defender's Office in 2005 and now spends most of her time defending clients in courtrooms. Gardner touts her hours spent in courtroom litigation as a reason why voters should favor her over Williams.

Gardner has been up front about her past brushes with the law during the campaign. She was arrested on two misdemeanors - illegal dumping and driving on a suspended license - in the early 1990s. In 2003, she got into trouble for not promptly paying the fine for a minor ordinance violation.

"Those things happened, and I probably could have handled things a little differently," she said in an earlier interview. "But that was quite some time ago. None of it was intentional, and they were minor violations. Now, I'm a lot more well-versed in the law and I know it has to be followed to the letter."

SUSAN GARDNER

AGE: 46

EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree from University of South Florida, 1996; Stetson University College of Law, 1999

FAMILY: Divorced, three children

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Civil lawyer, Gardner & Gardner, P.A., 1999-2005; assistant public defender in the Pasco-Pinellas Public Defender's Office since 2005

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: None

WEB SITE: www.susangardner4judge.com

ROBERT ANGUS WILLIAMS

AGE: 37

EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree from University of Florida, 1991; Stetson University College of Law, 1995

FAMILY: Married, two children

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Prosecutor, Pasco-Pinellas State Attorney's Office, 1995-99; partner, Fowler White Boggs Banker, 1999 to present

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: None

WEB SITE: www.robertanguswilliamscampaign .com

Reporter Todd Leskanic can be reached at (727) 815-1084.

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