I take back my Sept. 14 letter’s statement about not knowing which judge to vote for. I now think I’ll vote for incumbent NYS Supreme Court Justice Leonard B. Austin, because his ad in the Plainview-Old Bethpage Herald wished me (a Jew) “L’Shanah Tovah/a happy and healthy New Year!” Also, he has a nice, if subtle, smile in his photo.
But then, I’m tempted to vote for Leonard Steinman for Supreme Court Justice, because his Herald ad promises that he, “Len,” (maybe he’s a more “regular guy” than the stiffly-formal Leonard Austin) “will respect the law by ensuring that everyone follows the rules.” Is he insinuating that Austin has not been following them? Additional reasons to vote for “Len” include that he has a wider smile than Judge Austin; plus a wife, two daughters, and even a dog. Also, he’s “tough, but fair.” What could be better than that?
But then, only Austin has an American flag behind him in his ad’s photo. And while Austin is pictured wearing his black judicial robe, Steinman isn’t even wearing a suit jacket, and he’s wearing jeans! So, I guess I’m currently “undecided.” I think I’ll just hope that a third Leonard decides to run for this position.
Or maybe, judicial candidates can start providing voters with some more relevant reasons to vote for them.
Richard Siegelman
