Judge candidate Jim Fink leads opponents by double digits in bar association poll
The Washtenaw County Bar Association has released the results of a recently conducted poll, showing judicial candidate Jim Fink a clear favorite among local bar members.
In the four-way race for an open seat on the 22nd Circuit Court bench in Washtenaw County, Fink scored higher than any of his three opponents in all areas ranked.
On technical qualifications for the position, 77.6 percent rated Fink as either above average or excellent, while 66.3 percent said the same for Doug McClure, 61 percent said the same for Carol Kuhnke, and 40.8 percent said the same for Erane Washington.
In a similar poll conducted for the two-way race in which attorney Michael Woodyard is challenging Circuit Judge Timothy Connors, the longtime judge was rated significantly higher than Woodyard in every category.
Kyeena Slater, the association's executive director, released the poll results to bar members on Friday.
About 84.7 percent of respondents said they knew Fink before he was a candidate, while 70.1 percent said they knew Washington, 49.4 percent said they knew McClure and 42.9 percent said they knew Kuhnke.
On work capacity, which includes traits like diligence, punctuality and organizational skills, 76.2 percent rated Fink above average or excellent, while 62 percent said the same for McClure, 61 percent said the same for Kuhnke, and 44.4 percent said the same for Washington.
On character traits such as integrity and ability to be impartial, 79.7 percent rated Fink above average or excellent, while 73.4 percent said the same for McClure, 55 percent said the same for Kuhnke, and 51.9 percent said the same for Washington.
In terms of interpersonal skills, including demeanor, sense of humor and respect, 82.7 percent rated Fink above average or excellent, while 64.6 percent said the same for McClure, 62 percent said the same for Kuhnke, and 61.8 percent said the same for Washington.
In the other poll, only 12.7 percent of the 219 respondents said they knew Woodyard before he was a candidate, while 97.3 percent said they knew Connors.
In terms of technical qualifications, 85.5 percent rated Connors above average or excellent, while 25.9 percent said the same for Woodyard.
On work capacity, 85 percent rated Connors above average or excellent, while 22.2 percent said the same for Woodyard.
About 86 percent rated Connors above average or excellent on interpersonal skills, while 29.6 percent said the same for Woodyard.
Lastly, on character traits, 83.1 percent rated Connors above average or excellent, while 33.3 percent said the same for Woodyard.
The polling was confidential and conducted through SurveyMonkey.com. Results were collected and analyzed by SurveyMonkey.
Related story: Judge candidate called out for Republican leanings at Democratic Party judicial forum
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.
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