Evans in close race for top Circuit Court judgeship Wednesday

Evans in close race for top Circuit Court judgeship Wednesday

An election of great significance will take place in Chicago on Wednesday, but only a special handful of citizens are eligible to vote.

The prize -- if such language is acceptable in a judicial contest -- is the chief judgeship of the Cook County Circuit Court. The voting will be restricted to the 258 elected circuit judges of the county court.

Under ordinary circumstances, this sort of lackluster race would be a nonevent, based largely upon which Irish candidate had the stronger political clout. To be declared winner, the Irish candidate need only to corral 130 votes from 258 elected circuit court judges and the election would be over.

Of the three chief judges since 1960, when the position was established, all have been Irish.

However, the candidacy of Judge Timothy Evans, 58, who made political history as the late Mayor Harold Washington's City Council floor leader, has added much excitement to the Wednesday election.

Of the five candidates for chief Judge, the man for him to beat appears to be County Division Judge Michael J. Murphy.

Evans is believed to have gained the admiration of many fellow judges who look beyond. His support has come from both whites and Blacks. Evans has served as the Law Division's presiding judge for the past year and has been presiding judge of Domestic Relations for over four years.

The winner will succeed Presiding Chief Judge Donald P. O'Connell, who resigned last July.

Although every chief judge over the past four decades has been Irish, don't count Evans out. He has gathered a wide respect among fellow judges who look beyond color and race. Evans was appointed Law Division Presiding judge by outgoing Chief Judge O'Connell.

Distinguished Sun-Times political pundit Steve Neal has written that O'Connell awarded Evans his last appointment because of "Evans' first-rate judicial record and his administrative skills."

In his appeal to fellow judges, Evans notes that the "Circuit Court of Cook County is the largest unified court system in the world," and that "it's daily operation coalesces the work of hundreds of judges and staff members and involves complex relationships with government agencies, community groups and the public."

Evans is convinced that he has the education, "people skills" and judicial experience to excel as chief judge. He practiced law for 23 years and has served as a motion judge, trial judge, supervising judge and Presiding Judge of two divisions -- not to mention his years as 4th Ward Committeeman and City Councilman.

He also is aware that his appeal must be race. A racial breakdown of the 258 voting judges shows 157 white, 58 Black, eight Hispanic and one Asian-American. Among the whites, 53 are female and an estimated 25 are Jewish. However, there is indeed an awareness of race in this election. Evans supporters do not believe it insignificant that Judge Murphy has chosen Juvenile Justice Division Presiding Judge Curtis Heaston, a Black man, to place his name in nomination Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Chicago and Cook County would make national news if Evans is elected. The chief judge administrates a court system with a budget of $187 million, while managing 400 circuit and associate judges and nearly 3,000 employees.

Other announced candidates include: Anthony S. Montelione, presiding judge of the 5th Municipal District; Judge Stuart A. Nudelman, 3rd Municipal District, and Presiding Judge Nancy Sidone Salyers of the 2nd Municipal District.

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