Candyce Ewing Abbatt, who lost by 228 votes (even after a recount) in 2008 to Judge Mark Somers for the 19th District Court seat in Dearborn, is going to try her luck a second time for a seat on the bench.

Abbatt, who spent more than $190,000 in her losing bid in 2008, announced she will seek election for the district bench seat, which currently pays $138,272 annually.

The lifelong Dearborn resident and Fordson High School graduate has been a partner in private practice for 29 years, specializing in family law. She will face incumbent Judge Richard Wygonik, who was recently appointed chief judge for the 19th District Court. Former 19th District Court Magistrate Sam Salamey is also said to be considering a second run for the seat.

Dearborn judges serve six-year terms. Somers, in his third year, has said he will seek a seat on the Wayne County Circuit Court. Even if unsuccessful on the circuit court, Somers would still have three years on the district court bench to ponder his next career choice.

While Somers is not up for re-election, you can bet his legal troubles will be the focal point in election literature for Abbatt and any other candidate who decides to throw their hat in the ring for the seat. Let’s just hope that between now and the Aug. 7 primary election, the candidates also spend an equal amount of time educating voters on why they think they are best qualified to be a judge.

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 12th, 2012 at 5:45 am and is filed under Around Town. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.