[chevz71m]

Martin Valbuena has been our Paulding County Magistrate Judge since 2002. Please vote to Re-elect a Judge who has proven effective leadership and upholds the law!

This post has been edited by chevz71m: 26 July 2012 - 04:47 PM

[JBrigman]

Done!

[Glassdogs]

Yeah. He's incompetence and arrogance personified. I've had three different dealings with him and each time I left the courthouse wondering how in HELL that idiot ever graduated from law school, muchless became a judge.

[Wineguy]

Glassdogs, on 26 July 2012 - 06:47 PM, said:

Yeah. He's incompetence and arrogance personified. I've had three different dealings with him and each time I left the courthouse wondering how in HELL that idiot ever graduated from law school, muchless became a judge.

But how do you really feel? lol. I have no firsthand knowledge in this race, but I remember the news story about him a few months ago.

[The Sound Guy]

Wineguy, on 26 July 2012 - 06:51 PM, said:

But how do you really feel? lol. I have no firsthand knowledge in this race, but I remember the news story about him a few months ago.

Yea, the news stories kinda turned me against him.

[NewsJunky]

The Sound Guy, on 26 July 2012 - 07:10 PM, said:

Yea, the news stories kinda turned me against him.

I think the stories proved to be non stories and just made a lot of noise. I voted for him.

[Pigpen]

The news story was false, which is why you cannot find it on the news site any more. Judge Valbuena is highly intelligent having attended top notch universities for his undergraduate and law degrees. He was originally appointed to be magistrate judge around 10 years ago by then Chief Superior Court Judge Bill Foster. Glassdogs and I disagree on this one, as I have known Judge Valbuena as an attorney, judge and most importantly to him, a father to three great kids. I do not always agree with him and the other judges on their rulings, but I respect him and am confident that his decisions are made fairly and intelligently.

[Animal]

I think Martin has some competition,I haven't had any recent dealings with him.I do remember he was in great shape and ran in races. His wife taught this bike class that kicked my but.She was in top shape! I know them as a past client who I use to cut his grass at his law firm when it was in Dallas.

I will vote for him based on his strong character and sense of justice.

[chevz71m]

So quit employing illegal aliens. Thanks!

[LisaC]

Other than seeing his name on the sample ballot (and seeing ONE yard sign), I've never heard of Martin Valbuena. What has he done that deserves my vote? Give me examples of his "proven effective leadership" and tell me how he "upholds the law."

Seriously, I'm not trying to stir anything up, I've never heard of the guy or his competitors so I'm trying to figure out who the best person for the job is.

[chevz71m]

LisaC, on 27 July 2012 - 12:07 PM, said:

Other than seeing his name on the sample ballot (and seeing ONE yard sign), I've never heard of Martin Valbuena. What has he done that deserves my vote? Give me examples of his "proven effective leadership" and tell me how he "upholds the law."

Seriously, I'm not trying to stir anything up, I've never heard of the guy or his competitors so I'm trying to figure out who the best person for the job is.

Intitiated online filing of complaints/answers for civil cases to provide better access to court at no cost to Paulding County taxpayers....initiated a mediation program to aid in more efficient resolution of civil cases at no cost to the taxpayer or litigants.....Martin has been the chief magistrate since 2002....won elections in 2004. and un-opposed in 2008. Endorsed by GA Right to life. I hope this helps!

[The Sound Guy]

Pigpen, on 26 July 2012 - 10:19 PM, said:

The news story was false, which is why you cannot find it on the news site any more. Judge Valbuena is highly intelligent having attended top notch universities for his undergraduate and law degrees. He was originally appointed to be magistrate judge around 10 years ago by then Chief Superior Court Judge Bill Foster. Glassdogs and I disagree on this one, as I have known Judge Valbuena as an attorney, judge and most importantly to him, a father to three great kids. I do not always agree with him and the other judges on their rulings, but I respect him and am confident that his decisions are made fairly and intelligently.

I'll admit, I only did a quick search and found secondary references to them. I was in a hurry to get to the polls and didn't look too deeply, I was just wondering why a judgeship had 4 contenders when the incumbent was one of them. In any case I suspect this will be a runoff and Judge Valbuena will be one of them. I'll give him another look for the runoff. Thanks.

[NewsJunky]

Amazing how those stories turn up just before an election. I wonder how many votes that cost Martin?

[cobb transplant]

NewsJunky, on 27 July 2012 - 09:55 PM, said:

Amazing how those stories turn up just before an election. I wonder how many votes that cost Martin?

It cost him my vote...so that's one. From the looks of this thread, mine will be the only lost vote so I think he'll be ok. From what I understand, the court did not say that the facts as stated in the news story were false. The court said there was enough evidence supporting those facts to warrant another hearing of the matter. I do not know the outcome of the second hearing; and don't care, if it was questionable enough to smell fishy to a court of outsiders I'd just rather have someone else in that office.

[NewsJunky]

cobb transplant, on 28 July 2012 - 01:16 PM, said:

It cost him my vote...so that's one. From the looks of this thread, mine will be the only lost vote so I think he'll be ok. From what I understand, the court did not say that the facts as stated in the news story were false. The court said there was enough evidence supporting those facts to warrant another hearing of the matter. I do not know the outcome of the second hearing; and don't care, if it was questionable enough to smell fishy to a court of outsiders I'd just rather have someone else in that office.

And that is what is wrong with election time stories like this one. I don't think he did anything wrong and by the time it can be proven the election will be over. Good for the folks who might want to unseat him. Most attorney's have clients who cannot be pleased or are not pleased with the verdict in their case. Does that mean they did a bad job? Probably not in most cases. JMO

[cobb transplant]

NewsJunky, on 28 July 2012 - 01:39 PM, said:

And that is what is wrong with election time stories like this one. I don't think he did anything wrong and by the time it can be proven the election will be over. Good for the folks who might want to unseat him. Most attorney's have clients who cannot be pleased or are not pleased with the verdict in their case. Does that mean they did a bad job? Probably not in most cases. JMO

Maybe he didn't do anything technically wrong, who cares? A court of people outside the realm of Paulding said it looked fishy. I don't want a judge that is so close to crossing the line of "fishy" that it takes a year to sort it out. Let's find someone that stays far away from crossing that line. Such a person might not even be running this time around, but I'll be glad to spend the next few elections throwing out incumbents until a suitable one is found.

[NewsJunky]

cobb transplant, on 28 July 2012 - 01:50 PM, said:

Maybe he didn't do anything technically wrong, who cares? A court of people outside the realm of Paulding said it looked fishy. I don't want a judge that is so close to crossing the line of "fishy" that it takes a year to sort it out. Let's find someone that stays far away from crossing that line. Such a person might not even be running this time around, but I'll be glad to spend the next few elections throwing out incumbents until a suitable one is found.

I disagree with your take on the issue but that's OK we can agree to disagree.

[chevz71m]

to my knowlege the sanctions were dropped by the acuser....this boiled down to an angry defendant that lost, because Martin Respresented his client well. If I got in that situation, I would choose Martin to represent me....When you go to court, you want to win...when you don't you get pissed....thats what this was, but you can google it, the sanctions were dropped.

[chevz71m]

here is the link - charges/sanctions were vol. dropped. http://www.scribd.co...judice-Paulding

[cobb transplant]

chevz71m, on 29 July 2012 - 12:59 PM, said:

here is the link - charges/sanctions were vol. dropped. http://www.scribd.co...judice-Paulding

thanks for the link - after reading into pages 2-3 I can see that Valbuena is worse than I first suspected. As for the charges/sanctions being dropped - that is merely the result of an "out of court settlement". He was clearly wrong in the opinion of the court and had to hand over some cash to stop the printing of the public records that would be career ending. Or, maybe you're right - the appeals court spent pages on detailing how crooked Valbuena and the other guy are as judges and then stated that the complainant was going to be due damages in further court hearings - but the complainant just said out of the blue "oh, never mind, I'll just drop it".

[Krazyboutcats]

Glassdogs, on 26 July 2012 - 06:47 PM, said:

Yeah. He's incompetence and arrogance personified. I've had three different dealings with him and each time I left the courthouse wondering how in HELL that idiot ever graduated from law school, muchless became a judge.

I second that!

[Pigpen]

cobb transplant, on 29 July 2012 - 03:57 PM, said:

thanks for the link - after reading into pages 2-3 I can see that Valbuena is worse than I first suspected. As for the charges/sanctions being dropped - that is merely the result of an "out of court settlement". He was clearly wrong in the opinion of the court and had to hand over some cash to stop the printing of the public records that would be career ending. Or, maybe you're right - the appeals court spent pages on detailing how crooked Valbuena and the other guy are as judges and then stated that the complainant was going to be due damages in further court hearings - but the complainant just said out of the blue "oh, never mind, I'll just drop it".

You need to read the opinion. It says no such thing and no attorney fees were awarded. The trial court ruled in favor of mr. Valbuena's client, after which ms. Lowe appealed to the appeals court. Mr. Lowe did not have an attorney in the appeal and did not respond to any of the allegations made in the appeal. As a result, the court only had one version of events and references to the record. The appeals court ultimately ruled that paulding was not the proper jurisdiction and, based on the reversal on that ground, further ruled that the trial court should hold a hearing on the request for attorney fees. In no way did the appeals court state that attorneys fees should or should not be awarded, as it had no jurisdiction over that issue. Rather, it said that the hearing should take place, just as a hearing normally takes place even if the request is frivolous. There was no "out of court settlement" as you suggest. Ms. Lowe dismissed the case probably because she knew she would not succeed.

This post has been edited by Pigpen: 29 July 2012 - 07:17 PM

[cobb transplant]

Pigpen, on 29 July 2012 - 07:16 PM, said:

You need to read the opinion. It says no such thing and no attorney fees were awarded. The trial court ruled in favor of mr. Valbuena's client, after which ms. Lowe appealed to the appeals court. Mr. Lowe did not have an attorney in the appeal and did not respond to any of the allegations made in the appeal. As a result, the court only had one version of events and references to the record. The appeals court ultimately ruled that paulding was not the proper jurisdiction and, based on the reversal on that ground, further ruled that the trial court should hold a hearing on the request for attorney fees. In no way did the appeals court state that attorneys fees should or should not be awarded, as it had no jurisdiction over that issue. Rather, it said that the hearing should take place, just as a hearing normally takes place even if the request is frivolous. There was no "out of court settlement" as you suggest. Ms. Lowe dismissed the case probably because she knew she would not succeed.

wow. are you Valbuena? that is an interesting twist. well, you are right - it's all public record - I hope people read the record rather than your bizarre summation.

[Johnny Jacobs]

I read it all and I had made the right choice before hand, Valbuena did not get my vote.

[Pigpen]

cobb transplant, on 29 July 2012 - 08:25 PM, said:

wow. are you Valbuena? that is an interesting twist. well, you are right - it's all public record - I hope people read the record rather than your bizarre summation.

No, but i practice trial and appellate work and have reviewed all of the pleadings in the various cases.
Did you actually read the opinion from the court of appeals?

[Just thinkin' hard]

I have known Mr. Valbuena for over six years. To be honest, he's probably one of the first people that I truly got to know in this county after moving here. I have seen him in action as a person, as a parent, as an attorney, and as a judge. When I had an issue with someone that I needed advice, I turned to Martin. When a neighbor had a speeding ticket in Hiram (he is also a judge with Hiram), I went just to see Martin in the courtroom. He's clear - he's well spoken. And, from what I understand from parents that have had children in front of him, he's incredibly fair and yet gives out life lessons.

He is just a good, good person. He will be updating our wills soon. He gave us advice on some bankruptcy paperwork we received as creditors. He helped us when an adult was slandering our son.

And, if you want a fair judge that will look at each situation and render a judgement suitable to each case - this is the man you want.

If you've only seen one sign - I'm not sure where you're driving - they are out there.

[chevz71m]

Hey Cobb Transplant- who did you vote for? I hope it wasn't Brian Hardsion who represents Bad Cops. Look Up Waddell vs. The State, from 1996...Hardison was wanting to overturn the conviction, or lesson the time for a bad deputy that paid off another imate (for cigarettes) to beat a person in the jail waiting on bond....do you want a judge that represents bad cops?

[cobb transplant]

chevz71m, on 30 July 2012 - 05:17 PM, said:

Hey Cobb Transplant- who did you vote for? I hope it wasn't Brian Hardsion who represents Bad Cops. Look Up Waddell vs. The State, from 1996...Hardison was wanting to overturn the conviction, or lesson the time for a bad deputy that paid off another imate (for cigarettes) to beat a person in the jail waiting on bond....do you want a judge that represents bad cops?

I think the difference between performing the legal service that any client would expect of a defense attorney and shady back room deals are evident to most.

[chevz71m]

well....at anyrate what scares me is the fact that Hardison is the Dallas City Judge, which to me means, you go through dallas, get a ticket, get beaten by a bad cop....you have a little judgeee that will sid there....certianly not what we need for magistrate judge.

[chevz71m]

i thinnk cobb transplant is hardison, hahaha -

[zoocrew]

Pigpen, on 26 July 2012 - 10:19 PM, said:

The news story was false, which is why you cannot find it on the news site any more. Judge Valbuena is highly intelligent having attended top notch universities for his undergraduate and law degrees. He was originally appointed to be magistrate judge around 10 years ago by then Chief Superior Court Judge Bill Foster. Glassdogs and I disagree on this one, as I have known Judge Valbuena as an attorney, judge and most importantly to him, a father to three great kids. I do not always agree with him and the other judges on their rulings, but I respect him and am confident that his decisions are made fairly and intelligently.

Exactly. The news story wasn't much of a story after all.

I don't know Valbuena from Adam's house cat, but I can read and the stuff I read said exactly what you described. Looks more like a smear. I so hate politics.

This post has been edited by zoocrew: 30 July 2012 - 06:33 PM

[sirkraker]

Martin has to do a runoff against collins. The scary part is Collins doesnt have a law degree. How does a person without a degree sit for a magistrate judge position?

[Ugadawgs98]

chevz71m, on 30 July 2012 - 05:17 PM, said:

Hey Cobb Transplant- who did you vote for? I hope it wasn't Brian Hardsion who represents Bad Cops. Look Up Waddell vs. The State, from 1996...Hardison was wanting to overturn the conviction, or lesson the time for a bad deputy that paid off another imate (for cigarettes) to beat a person in the jail waiting on bond....do you want a judge that represents bad cops?

Seriously? Our legal system revolves around having legal counsel arguing for the rights of the convicted and the accused. It is necessary in our system of checks and balance. If you want to discount a lawyers credibility simply because they represent a criminal then we would have very few left.

This post has been edited by Ugadawgs98: 04 August 2012 - 08:13 PM

[chevz71m]

Now, no need to debate Hardison any longer!

[Veritas]

Judge Valbuena gives a lot of time and effort to his church and to church organizations, including time as an officer. Christian charity in action.

[Happy Wife And Mom]

All I hear is blah blah blah. I will refrain from sharing my opinion of him.