Philadelphia judicial candidate Gerard P. Shotzbarger had a problem: He was seated among 14 other Common Pleas Court candidates at a public forum early Friday as the only one given the Bar Association’s “not recommended” rating. That could be embarrassing if anybody brought it up.
But Shotzbarger – who shouldn’t be all that worried about May 15, since he has a great ballot position – confronted the issue head-on himself, and with a quirky sense of humor.
In his closing remarks at the Inquirer / Daily News judicial forum, the candidate said he had two hopes for his candidacy: one was to get the bar’s rating and, two, was to get Democratic City Committee’s endorsement. He got neither.
So, Shotzbarger told the audience, we should think of the old David Ruffin hit “Statue of a Fool” when we look at him. The song talks of a man “who let love slip through his hands” and cried a “million tears.”
That’s me, said Shotzbarger. And in terms of an unusual fessin’ up by a candidate, this was one for the charts.
By the way, here are all the judicial candidates' answers to questions from the two papers' editorial boards, along with more closing statements: Sandy Shea, editorial page editor at the Daily News, opens the session on this audio clip.. Questioning by Daily News columnist Elmer Smith, followed by Inquirer editorial writer Russell Cooke, continues on this clip. You'll also hear the voice of Lynn Marks, head of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, who ably moderated a forum that, in less skilled hands, could have become a food fight.
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