To the Editor:
I write to share the following with the voters of Dukes County:
One afternoon last spring, I received a call from a gentleman who identified himself as George Davis, a practicing lawyer on Martha’s Vineyard. George stated that he knew I had been a Superior Court clerk for Worcester County, and that he heard that I instituted a mediation program while serving as the clerk. George wanted my thoughts on his doing the same in Dukes County, were he fortunate enough to be elected to fill the big shoes of Joe Sollitto. I told George that I thought it would be a tremendous benefit to the bench, the bar, and the citizens of the Vineyard and Gosnold if he were to conduct mediations in the courthouse during his tenure as clerk. George has committed to do so.
Since last spring I have learned that George is an exceptionally talented lawyer with a deep commitment to the people of Martha’s Vineyard. If you are in George’s company at any public event, you quickly learn that he is a “people person” who is respected and liked by others. In my opinion, George’s personality, temperament, demeanor, and intellect are the exact qualities possessed by any good clerk of courts, and therefore, electing George Davis as the next Superior Court clerk for Dukes County will be a wonderful addition to an already superbly run county court. Given that more than 80 percent of the cases pending in Superior Court are civil matters, George is the only candidate who by virtue of his education and experience has the ability to mediate many of those cases. George’s election will bring a full-time dispute resolution specialist to the Dukes County Courthouse. This is more important on the Vineyard than in other Massachusetts counties, since the Vineyard only has a Superior Court judge assigned to the Island two months of the year.
I urge you to vote for T. George Davis for Dukes County clerk of courts on Nov. 6.
Francis A. Ford, Esq.
Edgartown
Ford is the former clerk of courts and magistrate for Worcester County. –Ed.