The Judge Makers

That’s not something Sabatina cares about. He wants to know two things about a prospective client: Can you afford it, and will you put in the time? Mike Erdos certainly fit the bill. He worked his butt off, going to ward functions all over the city.
 
In fact, that’s the one good thing everyone points to in our system of electing judges in Philadelphia — that candidates, most of whom are well-versed in Center City, are forced to go to churches and meet-and-greets and ward functions all over town. They get a close-up view of how the other half lives.
 
Sabatina says Erdos spent five years running around the wards, building his campaign for judge — that’s not literally true, but Erdos was chief of the Public Nuisance Task Force in the D.A.’s office, helping close down nasty bars and the like, so he got to know plenty of Northeast and West and South Philly community leaders. But part of the problem prospective judges have in campaigning is that they have to dance around positions on issues, because putting on the robe means you must be fair, even-handed, without a particular point of view. Judicious. That’s another reason why ward leaders and committeemen have become so important — to separate one candidate from another. And why Erdos spent so much money.
 
In fact, Sabatina couldn’t stop him from throwing his cash around. Erdos asked Sabatina one day before the May ’07 primary whether he’d seen the plastic wrap around his Sunday Inquirer — it was printed with an Erdos ad. Sabatina replied that of course he hadn’t seen it — who reads the plastic wrap around the newspaper? All Erdos really needed to do was stick with Sabatina, let him work the ward leaders. That’s what it’s all about. Deals.
 
Never mind that, Erdos guesses, maybe one-quarter of the 45,000 voters who pulled the lever for him actually knew anything about him (not to mention that he paid about $11 per vote, when you total his expenses). Sabatina thinks Erdos spent $200,000 more than he really had to, if he had just listened to The Kid.
 
But let’s not forget the ace in the hole. Luck. Meaning ballot position, the one thing nobody controls.
 
Remember Frank Palumbo, the Common Pleas judge who is generally viewed as not smart enough or experienced enough or tough enough to be a judge, and who has been given a trial docket very heavy on simple procedural cases? When Palumbo ran for Municipal Court, then in 2005 for Common Pleas, he had the advantage of actually being Italian, though he didn’t even need that much help. He drew the number one ballot position. Twice.