To the editor:

As a practicing lawyer in the Fourth Judicial District for over 44 years I have encountered judges at all levels, from town courts to Supreme Court and beyond.

Like lawyers, judges are not perfect. Members of the bench, like members of the bar, can be good, bad and/or ugly.

With that reality in mind, choosing a Supreme Court justice is not a choice that should be taken lightly. The candidate must possess various qualities from obvious fairness to an ability to tackle hard problems and to help resolve those problems with the assistance of competent trial counsel. Julie Garcia has those qualities and then some.

Julie Garcia should be elected to our Supreme Court to serve all residents of the Fourth Judicial District but especially those residents who reside in counties north of Saratoga, where the core of a Supreme Court justice can be measured by not only formal education (Siena College and Albany Law School) but more importantly by the education that comes from a tough life.

Julie Garcia understood at an early age that “Life is difficult,” to quote from “The Road Less Traveled.” For a great insight into Julie Garcia’s background, take a look at the New York State Bar Association web page under “State Bar News” and in particular a column on the lives of five rural lawyers. After you read that brief outline of Julie Garcia’s background, you will undoubtedly join me in voting for Julie Garcia for Supreme Court.

Dennis J. Tarantino, Esq.

Queensbury