3 times is a charm? 2 judges in a row in Delaware County, NY (and bosom friends, too) ran from the bench mid-term. Will the 3rd member of the team be as "lucky"?

In 2015, Delaware County/Family/Surrogate's Court judge Carl F. Becker, just 2.5 years into his 2nd, much coveted, term, suddenly "retired".

While chased by the New York State Commission for Judicial Conduct, the State Comptroller and the FBI.

Witnesses report that what chased him from the bench was so bad that Becker would sneak out for lunch, withdraw cash at a Bank of Delhi ATM, cross the street to the Shire Pub and drink his lunch.  Often.

I imagine how sad it is for the now-Delaware County public defender Joe Ermeti who has taken off his candidacy for the County Judge seat in 2012 to "allow his party to win" (that's what he said in an interview when he announced his candidacy in 2021) - when "his party's" candidate so ingloriously folded in just 2.5 years' time.

Next.

In November of 2015 Becker's bosom friend Richard Northrup became the judge.

In October of 2021 though, 6 years into his 1st, much-coveted, term, Northrup runs from the bench, too.  

From a $210,000 a year salary and tremendous power.

The only thing that usually gets them off is an imminent and likely threat of a criminal prosecution, and such a threat arises for judges only when they did something really, really, really bad. and only when the feds are chasing them.

Because otherwise - who would be chasing Judge Northrup?  

His bosom friend DA John Hubbard who refused to criminally prosecute for forgery, solicitation of forgery, filing false instrument and a number of other crimes - his former law partner Carl Becker when Becker forged the certificate of election for his 1st term, filing it, with forged signatures, 9 years after election when all proof of election was gone - and only after being challenged in a motion as being not a judge, but an impostor? 

I personally spoke to Hubbard about the charges, and all he could bleat was - "why do you need that, Tanya"? 

Now Becker's former law partner John Hubbard is running for the same position (defense attorney Andrew Van Buren runs, too, but is unlikely to win, given the powerful support of the local establishment Hubbard is getting in these elections).  

Hubbard is part and parcel of the same team and, no doubt, had a finger in the same shenanigans that likely drove his two predecessors off the bench.  I am personally aware of some of them.

And, the eternal self-pushover-"for the party" Joe Ermeti has, once again, first announced his candidacy for the judicial elections in 2022, and once again took his candidacy off to let now John Hubbard go forward.  

When he let Becker win in 2012 (and did a couple of other things, I will write about them in further articles of this series), he's got his current Delaware County Public Defender's position.

When he stepped aside for John Hubbard, he, reportedly, was offered a deal to get John Hubbard's position as the District Attorney (we will see if reports are true shortly).

I wonder for how long Joe Ermeti's "sacrifice"-for-candy will last this time, for how long Hubbard will be able to keep on the bench once he grabs it.

I have a funny feeling the FBI file on Hubbard is as long as for his previous loved bosses and mentors...

We will wait and see, won't we?