There’s a clear leader in this contentious Tri-Cities judicial race
There were two races for the Benton-Franklin Superior Court on election night, but only one was contested.
Judge Norma Rodriguez has a more than 6,000-vote lead over her opponent after initial ballot counts election night.
Judge Jacqueline Stam is running unopposed to remain on the bench, after being appointed to replace Judge Carrie Runge last summer.
Judge Norma Rodriguez was challenged by attorney George Cicotte to serve the remaining two years of retired Judge Cameron Mitchell’s term. Rodriguez was appointed as his replacement in April.
Rodriguez was leading 26,182 votes, or 56.4%, to Cicotte’s 20,126, or 43.4%.
The next ballot count update wasn’t due until Wednesday evening.
Benton County estimates that Tuesday’s tallies are about half of their total expected ballots. The election will be certified on Nov. 29.
Franklin County released a tally of 16,688 ballots. It’s unclear how many are left to count.
Benton-Franklin Superior Court has seven judges who handle civil and felony criminal cases, along with divorce, paternity and custody issues in the two counties. They make about $200,000 a year.
About the candidates
Gov. Jay Inslee’s appointment of Rodriguez made her the first Latina judge on the Superior Court bench in the Tri-Cities.
She drew strong support for her appointment to the seat, including from retired Superior Court Judge Dennis Yule.
She started practicing law in Kennewick 28 years ago, and founded her own general practice firm largely dealing with criminal defense, personal injury and Labor and Industries disputes.
Cicotte, an employee benefits attorney, has been practicing law in the Tri-Cities for more than 25 years with a focus in corporate, employment, government, labor and tax law.
He ran for Congress as a Republican, and joined with a group of attorneys who wanted to overturn a Kennewick School Board decision to keep middle and high schools closed during the COVID pandemic.
While he has been involved in partisan politics, Cicotte said he would remain impartial as a judge. He has practiced law for more than 25 years, most of that time in the Tri-Cities.
Judge Stam
Stam was a bicounty Superior Court commissioner from 2011 until last summer,when she was picked by Inslee to replace retiring Judge Carrie Runge. Commissioners decide Superior Court cases focused on family law, probate, guardianship and juvenile court.
Before becoming a judge, Stam was a senior partner in private practice at Cowan Moore Stam Luke & Peterson in Richland, where she focused on family law, guardianships, probate, estate planning and mediations.
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 9:03 PM.
