Montgomery County’s judicial candidates reflect on wins and loss
The two Democrats who swept the contest for two seats on the Montgomery County bench say they are “humbled” by their wins and eager to begin the next phases of their legal careers in January.
“I am humbled and honored to have been elected let alone with such huge margins,” Judge-elect Wendy G. Rothstein said on Wednesday. “I will be sad to leave my law firm that I worked for 34 years. However, I am so excited to take the bench and be a public servant.”
Rothstein, 61, of Plymouth Township, a partner in the Blue Bell office of Fox Rothschild LLP, was the top vote-getter in Tuesday’s balloting, capturing 154,616 votes, according to unofficial results with all 426 precincts reporting.
“I am very honored by this decision, and I was thrilled to get support from all over Montgomery County. I am looking forward to taking office and joining this distinguished court,” Judge-elect Jeffrey S. Saltz said.
Saltz, 64, of Lower Merion, who has run his own law firm in Philadelphia since 1998, came in second in Tuesday’s balloting, according to unofficial results, garnering 96,204 votes.
Rothstein and Saltz were elected to 10-year judicial terms and will take their oaths of office in January.
The Democrats defeated lone Republican contender and current Judge Joseph P. Walsh, who captured 69,097 votes, according to unofficial but final returns. Walsh, 52, of Montgomery Township, has been on the county bench since September 2016 when he was appointed to fill a vacancy by Gov. Tom Wolf and he was seeking to retain that seat.
“I was shocked by my defeat but I was surprised by the overall numbers,” Walsh reflected on the outcome. “I knew it would be challenging to win countywide as a Republican; however, the national scene made the challenge insurmountable.”
In Montgomery County, there are 262,829 registered Democrats and 206,682 Republicans, representing a Democratic edge of 56,147 registered voters, according to county officials.
“With all of my endorsements and the outreach of those organizations, I thought I might be able to redirect some votes into my column; however, the numbers were just too large to overcome,” said Walsh, who previously served on the North Penn School District Board of Directors from 2005 to 2009 and on the Montgomery Township Board of Supervisors from 2010 to 2016.
Rothstein appeared to have an edge going into Tuesday’s election having been the only candidate during the May primary contest to win both a Democratic and Republican spot on the general election ballot. That meant that the Democratic and GOP votes that Rothstein received on Tuesday were combined.
Rothstein, Saltz and Walsh each cross-filed during May’s primary election. On Tuesday, Saltz appeared on the Democratic ballot while Walsh appeared on the GOP ballot.
Walsh, who before joining the bench was a founding partner of the Lansdale law firm Walsh Pancio where he served from 2007 to 2016, said he was “proud” of the campaign he ran and “very humbled” by the level of support he received from the police, the teachers, and the many unions who endorsed him.
“When I accepted the blessing of my appointment from Governor Wolf I committed myself to make the most of the short time table of my commission. I did not just want to ‘mark my time’ on the bench. I accomplished all that I set out to do,” Walsh said. “I wish I had won the election so I could continue my work for another ten years, but it was not meant to be.”
Some political pundits surmised that Democratic wins in some high-profile races nationwide on Tuesday were the result of dissatisfaction with Washington politics.
Montgomery County’s voter turnout was 31.6 percent on Tuesday, higher than usual for a similar election. In 2013, voter turnout during the general election was only 24.28 percent and in 2009 turnout was 24.61 percent, according to county statistics.
“We made history on many levels with this election,” said Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman Marcel L. Groen. “Democrats in Montgomery County won both judge seats, picked up a number of township, borough, and school district offices to continue to solidify the strength of the party in the region.”
Groen said “history was made for Democrats in Southeastern Pennsylvania,” pointing out Delaware County Democrats were elected to countywide seats for the first time since home rule was enacted and Democrats in Chester County swept all four county row offices - treasurer, controller, clerk of courts, and coroner.
“Democratic voters came out in huge numbers across the county. The huge turnout countywide was a response to recent events and the prior election,” Rothstein said. “The voters definitely sent a message with their votes that they are going to be active and never take off an election again. I along with other candidates were very fortunate to ride that tidal wave.”
During the campaign, Rothstein touted her 34 years’ experience as a trial lawyer and said she was most proud of having been “a trailblazer for women in the legal profession,” explaining she “broke the glass ceiling” as the first female lawyer hired at Pearlstine Salkin, Associates, now known as Fox Rothschild, in 1982; appointed as a municipal solicitor in Montgomery County in 1988; appointed by the county judges to serve as a discovery master in 2001; and appointed by county judges to serve as a Chair of a Board of View in 2013.
Rothstein will join nine other women currently on the 22-member county bench.
Saltz, during the campaign, said his career highlights include handling high-profile cases, “representing major corporations in multimillion-dollar disputes, filing briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court…working as a volunteer civil liberties lawyer to protect against religious discrimination and the infringement of individual rights.”
Saltz was a board member of the Montgomery County Industrial Development Authority from 2002 to 2008 and was a law clerk to Judge Harrison L. Winter, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 1978 to 1979.
Saltz graduated from Princeton University in 1975 and is a 1978 graduate of Harvard Law School, according to his resume.
Rothstein graduated from Temple University in 1978 with a Bachelors of Social
Work and obtained her law degree from the University of Baltimore in 1982.
Walsh, a 1988 graduate of Saint Joseph’s University who obtained his law degree in 1991 from Widener University School of Law, said, “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on the Bench.”
“Most significantly, I have had the privilege to meet so many wonderful people,” said Walsh, specifically mentioning the deputy sheriffs, the court clerks and reporters, and court administrators. “Montgomery County is very blessed to have so many high caliber people working in the court system. They are bright, friendly, dedicated and hardworking people. The people in the courthouse made my daily work on the bench a true pleasure.”
Walsh, with kindness and respect, congratulated Rothstein and Saltz and wished them “the very best.” Walsh said he’s known Rothstein for many years and described her as “extremely prepared, intelligent and a true professional.” Walsh said he met Saltz while on the campaign trail and described him as “very bright and pleasant.”
“The Montgomery Bench will be greatly served by the addition of these two great lawyers,” Walsh said.
“I am very honored by this decision, and I was thrilled to get support from all over Montgomery County. I am looking forward to taking office and joining this distinguished court.” — Montgomery County Judge-elect Jeffrey S. Saltz
“I knew it would be challenging to win countywide as a Republican; however, the national scene made the challenge insurmountable.” — outgoing Montgomery County Judge Joseph P. Walsh
“I am humbled and honored to have been elected let alone with such huge margins.” — Montgomery County Judge-elect Wendy G. Rothstein