Tim Lohmar announces run for judge in 2010; so does Richard Veit
Perhaps it’s never too early to throw your hat in the ring. We received a press release this afternoon from Tim Lohmar, St. Charles County’s current municipal court judge, announcing that he will run for associate circuit judge in 2010. He’ll be seeking election to the Division 8 seat currently held by his father, William Lohmar.
Tim Lohmar
The younger Lohmar, 35, of O’Fallon, was appointed as the county government’s first municipal judge in November 2007. He previously served as a city prosecutor in St. Charles and a municipal judge in Moscow Mills. He also was elected to the St. Charles Community College Board of Trustees in 2002 and re-elected in 2008.
He received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Missouri. He has considered running for judge for some time, he said. “It’s been something that I’ve kind of aspired towards for several years in my practice,” he said.
Filing for judgeships in the St. Charles County Circuit doesn’t start until February of next year, but Tim Lohmar said recent history shows open judgeships tend to attract multiple candidates.
William Lohmar
His father, William Lohmar, 62, said he had a tough time deciding not to run for re-election. “I still feel like I’m at the top of my game,” he said. “But, going through the election process, it’s tough.”
Another factor: He said his wife Shirley is retiring at the end of this school year from her job as principal of Null Elementary School in the St. Charles School District.
William Lohmar said he will have served a total of 29 years on the bench when he retires.
The elder Lohmar has run as a Democrat, and his son’s law partner, Aaron Staebell narrowly lost a bid for the state House as a Democrat in 2002.
But Tim Lohmar said he will file as a Republican. Given that Republican County Executive Steve Ehlmann appointed him to the municipal judgeship, that announcement probably comes as no surprise to local pols.
Richard Veit
Meanwhile, St. Charles City Councilman Richard Veit, 1st Ward, told Post-Dispatch reporter Mark Schlinkmann today that he plans to run for one of the other associate judgeships in 2010. Veit ran unsuccessfully for a judgeship in 2006, losing in a three-way Republican primary to current Circuit Judge Rick Zerr.
St. Charles County’s circuit has six circuit judges and six associate circuit judges. All the associate circuit judgeships will be up for election in 2010. In addition to Lohmar, the other current judges are Terry Cundiff, Elizabeth Swann, Norman Steimel, Philip Ohlms and Matthew Thornhill.
In addition, one circuit judgeship, currently held by Nancy Schneider, will be up for election.
(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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In the event that he’s planning to run against the tainted Matt Thornhill, I wonder if Veit realizes that he will be facing a tough primary against a well-known republican, who will have the upper hand from the start.
His only other chance would be if one of the current judges don’t file for re-election, and I don’t see that being too likely.
It’s really a shame that judges are elected on a partisan basis. One would think that of all elected officials, the judges would be the ones who should have no predispositions on particular issues, and unfortunately, the partisan politics makes the impossible. What would it take to make these judicial elections non-partisan?
In his duties as Ward 1 Councilperson, Veit has listened to all sides of every issue and has always acted in accordance with his stated beliefs. I think that those are qualities we would want in a judge.
I agree. I think he’s a fine man.
But he won’t stand a chance if things pan out the way they look like they will.
Note to the Post Dispatch:
Can we please get more information about these candidates in terms of their legal careers and previous rulings if they have served as a judge before? If they are running for reelection, what have they done? For instance, one particular judge sentenced a convicted child molester to house arrest in a residential neighborhood. Or, they may have tried to use fraudulent tactics to get a watermellon autographed by the late Hubert Humphrey. Or, they may have controlling interest in a large locally-based company. Little things like that are more important to aid us in our balloting than party affiliation or how swell a guy or gal the potential judge may be.
Thank you,
H.