Pope, LaSalata to face off for King County district judge

King County District Judge Mary Ann Ottinger's disciplinary problems apparently helped persuade voters to remove her from the bench.

Ottinger, an Eastside judge for 14 years, finished last in the Sept. 19 primary, after results of a mandatory hand recount of at least 95,000 ballots were released Thursday night.

County substitute judge Frank LaSalata finished second, just 27 votes ahead of Ottinger, and will face Bellevue attorney Richard Pope in the runoff this fall.

The state Commission on Judicial Conduct censured Ottinger in 2004 for a history of failing to inform some defendants of their rights. She promised to change, but additional violations led to another censure by the commission last spring and a 30-day suspension by the state Supreme Court.

LaSalata and Pope both made the disciplinary issues a central issue in the campaign.

Ottinger said her opponents brought up "half-truths and misinformation" and "the nearly 15 years of good things I did as a judge were successfully negated."

She said other local judges commit the same violations she did, and the state commission agreed that her mistakes were not unique. She changed some of her own courtroom policies, such as adding a requirement that public defenders be present at every hearing. Many other county judges, she said, haven't done that.

LaSalata said he received many calls from reporters and well-wishers after the results of the four-day recount were announced.

"I'm kind of emotionally drained right now ... but I'm excited and I'm looking forward to the [fall] campaign."

He said he wouldn't respond to Ottinger's comments. "The bottom line is we have to look toward tomorrow."

According to the final results, Pope finished first with 35.28 percent, followed by LaSalata with 32.25 percent and Ottinger with 32.21 percent.

The recount did not change the margins much. LaSalata's lead over Ottinger shrunk by three votes, and Pope's lead over LaSalata grew by 17 votes.

Pope was a surprise winner in the primary. He has no judicial experience, has unsuccessfully run for elected office nine times and was cited last month by the King County Bar Association for unprofessional conduct.

LaSalata has been a substitute, or pro tem, judge in King County since 1998. He worked as an attorney while filling in as a judge in King and San Juan counties and living in Friday Harbor. He became a full-time substitute judge in 2002 and moved to Redmond a few months later.

Pope, a longtime Seattle-area resident, said he plans to focus on his local ties in his race against LaSalata. LaSalata said Thursday he was the only candidate qualified for the bench.

Ashley Bach: 206-464-2567