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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 2020)
A8 ELECTION 2020 Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, October 14, 2020 LocalElections Lamborn runs write-in campaign with hopes of continuing tradition of excellence Burns attorney says he has experience handling all types of cases By Rudy Diaz Blue Mountain Eagle John Lamborn has reen- tered the race for circuit court judge with his write-in campaign and a goal to con- tinue the history of excel- lence in the courtroom. One reason why Lam- born is running a write-in campaign to be judge for Grant and Harney counties is because Grant County District Attorney Jim Car- penter decided to suspend his campaign and endorsed Lamborn as an alternative candidate to Rob Raschio, Lamborn said. Lamborn said he wants to continue the history of excellence that Grant and Harney counties have come to expect from their circuit court judge. “Judge Cramer did a fab- ulous job for 22 years, and the folks from Harney and Grant County have come to expect great things from the bench,” Lamborn said. Lamborn added that Milo Pope, who was judge prior to Cramer, was another great judge with a balance of judicial seriousness and folksiness that was very refreshing. “My goal is to further that tradition, and I think that my qualifications for judge put me in the position where I can further that tra- John Lamborn dition of excellence,” Lam- born said. He has been practicing law in the state of Oregon for 25 years and has worked on just about every case that could come before a judge in circuit court. From crim- inal cases, adult and juve- nile, to mental health cases and the wide array of civil matters, he said he has expe- rienced it. Lamborn has been a member of the arbitration board for Grant, Harney and Malheur counties for many years and has sat as an arbi- trator in many cases. He is also the pro tem justice of the peace for Harney County Justice Court and was chair- man of the Harney County Planning Commission for eight years. Lamborn hopes to assuage doubts people may have with a new judge and will focus on being fair and making decisions based on fact and law. Raschio looking to protect system of justice, the Constitution and liberty Grant and Harney coun- Providing clear ties deserve a judge that directions and focuses on facts, law, expe- rience in the wide world and resources are understanding of the trauma important that bring people into court, Lamborn said, and he said By Rudy Diaz he can provide this as judge. Blue Mountain Eagle “When people come to the circuit court they have The system of justice, the serious matters that con- cerns them and they want Constitution and protecting a fair, unbiased, intelligent people’s liberty are import- ant for Rob Raschio, and and experienced look at if elected judge in Novem- those issues,” Lamborn said. ber, he wants to protect “They don’t want somebody these items and help make with hidden agendas or who changes in people’s lives. has other problems. They Raschio said he wants want a judge that can listen to be the next circuit court respectfully, understand the judge for Grant and Harney issue and provide a resolu- tion in a timely fashion and counties because he cares is fair.” about the communities and L a m - w a n t s born said them to be people safe places CIRCUIT COURT should vote where peo- ple can for him thrive. He because said being he is the a judge most expe- rienced candidate, has no is a role he can take on to baggage and the people of achieve that goal. Grant and Harney counties Raschio said it is really can trust he will make deci- important for a judge to sions based on facts and on make decisions in a manner the law. that follows the law and is “Don’t be dismayed designed to give certainty, because my name wasn’t which is how social stabil- ity is gained in the legal sys- printed on the ballot,” Lam- born said. “If you look at my tem. This allows the com- munity to know a judge can Facebook page or website, be trusted to make good there’s instructions on how decisions. to execute a write-in ballot. “That’s the fundamen- Write-in campaigns have tal key to the job,” Raschio been going on for years, and said. I want people to understand A concern that people that I have a lot of support have in the 24th Judicial and endorsements for this District is a revolving door position.” JUDGE Rob Raschio and people on the criminal side only getting their hands slapped and not being effec- tively managed by the court, according to Raschio. “When people are com- ing back and back again, people get tired of seeing the same people back on proba- tion again,” Raschio said. “I look at it as a question of messaging and sentenc- ing. As a judge, my com- mitment is that I’m going to give clear directions to people convicted of crimes and provide them with the resources that they need fol- lowing a conviction.” Along with giving clear sentencing directions, Raschio said guiding people through the proper resources plays an important role after the sentencing. Raschio said the vast majority of convicted people are going to be back in com- munities again, and it’s a rar- ity that somebody is gone for the rest of their lives. “After serving a sentence in jail, I want to make sure that, if you’re committing acts of violence, there are services available that will help you to learn how to manage your behavior dif- ferently,” Raschio said. “It’s OK to say, ‘I have trauma, and that’s why I act this way.’ It’s not OK to perpet- uate that trauma on to the next generation. We have to make a break.” However, Raschio said if a mistake is made a third time, there will be signifi- cant consequences designed to halt the revolving door. “I can’t prosecute crimes. Those have to be brought to me,” Raschio said. “But when they’re in front of me, I can do what I can to try and help people make cor- rections in their lives.” Raschio said he hopes people in Grant and Har- ney counties have seen he is working hard for them. He said their protection and needs would be his priority if he becomes circuit court judge. “I hope I demonstrated over the last 14 months that I’m committed to being your next circuit court judge,” Raschio said. “I’ve worked hard over the last 14 months to introduce myself to more people, and I’ve done that because I think it’s import- ant for people in small com- munities to know who their judge is. I want people to feel free to give comments, talk to me, and I am open to people’s criticism, and I’m willing to listen.” John Day [ TOGETHER FOR YOU ] This year has been extremely diffi cult for communitites across the entire state. But when crises emerge, Oregonians step up to care for one another. Oregon Community Foundation serves and supports Oregon communities from recovery to rebuilding. Through the unprecedented generosity of OCF donors - funds deployed to thousands of nonprofi ts statewide have risen more than 100% this year. Thank you to all who have donated. We’re all in this together, Oregon. Let’s keep taking care of each other. VISIT OREGONCF.ORG: READ IMPACT STORIES | BECOME A DONOR TOGETHER O R E G O N C F. O R G S211131-1
