Alexander & Burgoyne

Ever since the summer the SUN has been fairly enthusiastic about George Alexander's candidacy for the new District Court judgeship created by the legislature.

Alexander helped organize and now directs the county's Public Defender Office, critical to the fortune of penniless accused persons. He also works hard for his clients, so hard in fact, that he may not be campaigning enough.

No one quite knows what to make of his opponent, Shirley Burgoyne, who ran unsuccessfully for judgeships in 1968 and 1972. 

Among other things, Burgoyne has been rated "unqualified" for the office by Washtenaw County Bar Association. She has been accused of being "flighty," "inconsistent," and "often confused," non of them qualities we would like to see in a judge. Ann Arbor City Councilwoman Colleen McGee says women's causes will be furthered by a vote for Burgoyne's male opponent.

Part of Burgoyne's problem is undoubtedly that she is a woman, although she would have us believe this is her only problem. The bar association is overwhelmingly male. 

Another problem is Burgoyne's religion (Presbyterian), which she takes seriously enough to occasionally intrude it into her campaign. 

But Burgoyne's biggest problem is that she is the former president of the Ann Arbor Republican Women's Council, She now blames her term of office on marital difficulties, explaining she was forced into it by her Republican husband. However, Burgoyne often acts like a conservative masquerading as a liberal for the sympathetic women's vote.

During an appearance at the Law Quad two weeks ago, Burgoyne said she stood for "rehabilitation of the accused" and said of tenant-landlord disputes that "everyone should have their day in court."

Her unhappy Republican affiliation has divided the local feminist movement, causing more than a little bitterness.

For the last two years, Burgoyne has done all the legal work fo the Women's Crisis Center, free of charge, By way of contrast, public defender Alexander has defended more than his share of rapists, questioning women concerning their virginity in the process. 

Both Burgoyne and Alexander tut-tut the county penal system, but we find Alexander more convincing.

"No person should ever be incarcerated because she or he is poor," Alexander is saying in his advertisements. "I will never tell a defendant to 'pay money or go to jail.' " That's a promise to be watched and kept.