Twenty-five years ago,
I got to the bench with the support and hard work of many people. A campaign
for the public office is an expensive experience, especially when it covers all
of Berks County. I recently found this letter from "Big Bob," the
campaign's committee chairman, to other members. It was written in the summer
of 1991 to announce a picnic to celebrate our victory. Bob writes well and I
wanted to share his wit and wisdom with readers. Reading this again brought
many memories and a smile to my face. Enjoy.
....
Review of
"Sprecher
for Judge" Campaign
A one-act
dramedy from the Chairman
They say it's not over til the fat lady
sings. Sometimes, it seems. it only takes one act to get her on stage.
As the curtain rose we found Jeff
Sprecher at center stage, playing the lead as a qualified candidate determined
to win his party's nomination for Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Berks
County.
Ever as his side was his wife Jane,
whose supporting role called for her to inspire and encourage (nag) her husband
into traversing the entire stage many times, even if it meant wearing three
hats, appearing two places at once and being one tired dude.
From the first plate of spaghetti to the
last "grip and grin," this production called from invocation,
flexibility and hard work.
More often than not, the challenge was
not in memorizing their lines (the lead wrote them himself based on a true
story), the challenge was in saying the same thing a hundred times and making
it sound fresh each time. After all, how many ways are there to say "I
earned my bachelor's, master's and law degrees while working full time and
supporting my family?"
But repeat his lines he did. From
granges to bingo's to meetings with politicos, no one was spared. If you'd
listen (and even if you wouldn't), he'd talk. And if you were lucky, you might
even find a pencil coming your way.
Behind the scenes worked a crew of
volunteers dedicated to bringing down the house. Through not a cast of
thousands, their work was reminiscent of one. The chorus sang the praises of Sprecher
for Judge to everyone they met. Scenery was impeccable (those confounded signs
were everywhere), with impressive billboards featuring that famous Polident (or
is that Poligrip?) smile. Whether by post, personal contact or door-to-door,
handbills made their way into homes of city, town and country voters
everywhere.
All in all, a finely orchestrated
production
As the lights dimmed on the first act,
the cast and crew began setting the stage for the act to follow as it turned
out, though, a full scale production would not be necessary, since the applause
and standing ovation by the audience indicated that they'd seen enough: the
play was a hit, Sprecher was a winner and everyone went home satisfied...
Thank you and congratulations to all!
Author's Note
The primary election is
held to determine the victor of the party. To reduce the political impact in a
judicial election, a candidate for Judge is permitted to circulate nominating
petitions to be put on both the Republican and Democratic tickets. This is
called cross-filing and only judges and school board candidate can do this. It
gives both parties the opportunity to choose which candidate will lead its
ballot regardless of the candidate's political registration.
I am proud to say that
I was one of two candidates on both the Republican and Democratic ticket to
finish in one of the top two positions on both ballots. The election of two
judges was finished in the primary and the general election ballot became only
a technicality.
As we celebrate the primary
election of May 20, 2014, please keep in mind how it works for judges. Judges
are only on the ballot for election in odd number years. Thus there were no
judicial elections in the 2014 primary. Hopefully you exercised your greatest
freedom-that of choice- in this primary election
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