As many of you may know, members of the JBA Board of Governors and staff partnered with lawyers from the D.W. Perkins Bar Association to “adopt” two voter precincts during the elections held in November. This was done as part of the Supervisor of Elections’ “Partners in Democracy” project, in which volunteers from the business community staffed precincts that had experienced difficulties in recent elections. Through the outstanding recruiting efforts of Bill Scheu and Doug Ward of Rogers, Towers, many lawyers and other members of the Jacksonville legal community participated in the project.
Those of us from the JBA Board of Governors and staff learned a great deal from our experiences as pollworkers. One thing that we all agreed on is that it is very hard work. We each received between two and four hours of training, depending on our particular functions in the precinct. On Election Day, we arrived by 6 a.m. to ready the precinct for opening. We all stayed until past 8 p.m. to break down the precinct. In between there are no breaks and no shifts. Everybody works the entire day. The work requires, among other things, attention to detail, good interpersonal skills and a healthy dose of patience.
I am pleased to report that things went very smoothly at the two precincts that we staffed. Despite the fact that we were in some instances replacing pollworkers that had staffed these precincts for many years, and that there was a great deal of scrutiny from some in the community who had reservations about the project, most of the voters we encountered were very appreciative of our efforts. There was also a wonderful spirit of camaraderie among those from the JBA and our friends and colleagues from the Perkins Bar who worked with us.
It was very heartening for me to see the great deal of effort that many of the elderly and disabled residents made to get to the precinct and vote. They clearly understood how fortunate and blessed we are to live in a democracy in which the voice of our people is heard through our votes. It is a right and a privilege that none of us should ever take for granted.
I hope you were able to attend our November membership luncheon. Paul Perez, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, was our guest speaker and made a wonderful presentation. Paul is respected by all in the Jacksonville legal community for his ability, integrity and professionalism. He has also been an outstanding member and friend of our Association and has served the Association in many capacities, especially as the Chairperson of our Naturalization Committee. We are very fortunate to have Paul as our United States Attorney.
The investiture of Judge Tim Corrigan as United States District Judge for the Middle District of Florida is scheduled for Tuesday, in Courtroom 1 of the soon to be “old” Federal Courthouse. A reception will follow at the courthouse. Like Paul Perez, Judge Corrigan is “one of our own,” having been a well-respected trial lawyer at the Bedell firm prior to becoming a magistrate judge. Judge Corrigan has been a very active member of this Association for many years, including serving as chairperson of our Professionalism Committee. All in our legal community holds Judge Corrigan in the highest esteem, both professionally and personally. I hope you will have the opportunity to join us in celebrating this very special occasion with Judge Corrigan.
Our annual holiday Bench and Bar Party will be held Thursday, Dec. 5, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The party will be held at a special location this year, the new Berkman Plaza on Bay Street. This will be a great venue for the event and will give many of us the opportunity to see this exciting new development for the first time.
The Bench and Bar Party is one of our Associations oldest and favorite traditions. I hope you will make plans to attend this year’s event.
This will be my last column before the holidays. I wish each of you and your families a joyous holiday season and a healthy and happy New Year. Thank you again for all of your generous and thoughtful support our Association during this year.