Cathyhelms Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 Can't believe no one has started a thread about this one. Last election this seemed to be a hot topic. I am familiar with all three candidates and have a question specifically for deadeye aka Dick Donovan. Could you please tell us why you left Paulding County and moved your practice to Douglas County?? You have been very vocal in another thread about a specific case, now can you give us some specifics about yourself?? 1 Link to post Share on other sites
bellaprincess Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 I am STILL not sure on my vote for this one. Lane does not seem to be actually doing much. Donovan should have just let WFAL vent about him, because I don't like that he said anything. (Though in all honesty, I would have too if someone said something I perceived as an attack, but then again, that is why I am not running for anything! ) Plumley just does not seem to have the experience to do the job. (I have only found this:Chad’s areas of practice include Civil Litigation, Real Estate, Probate, Wills Trusts and Estates, Personal Injury, Domestic Relations and Collections) Link to post Share on other sites
bellaprincess Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 Can't believe no one has started a thread about this one. Last election this seemed to be a hot topic. I am familiar with all three candidates and have a question specifically of deadeye aka Dick Donovan. Could you please tell us why you left Paulding County and moved your practice to Douglas County?? You have been very vocal in another thread about a specific case, now can you give us some specifics about yourself?? He used to have offices in a few counties I believe. Maybe he had to downsize to one and the Douglas one was the most central? I do not personally know him, but I do know he is fairly active in Paulding. That is how I know his name. Link to post Share on other sites
Cathyhelms Posted June 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 I am STILL not sure on my vote for this one. Lane does not seem to be actually doing much. Donovan should have just let WFAL vent about him, because I don't like that he said anything. (Though in all honesty, I would have too if someone said something I perceived as an attack, but then again, that is why I am not running for anything! ) Plumley just does not seem to have the experience to do the job. (I have only found this:Chad’s areas of practice include Civil Litigation, Real Estate, Probate, Wills Trusts and Estates, Personal Injury, Domestic Relations and Collections) My only contact with Chad Plumley has been in Magistrate court once and serving on the nominating committee for the Boy Scouts in Paulding County. Here's a little more info on Chad Plumley from his web site. <snip> Chad first had an opportunity to learn about the legal profession in 1993-1994 when he served as an intern for the District Attorney’s office in Paulding County. Soon after his internship, Chad entered Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University, where he was a member of the law review for two years. Chad graduated cum laude in 1997. Chad began his legal career serving as a law clerk for the Conasauga Circuit in Dalton, Georgia. He then worked for Kenny, Kemp, Sponcler, and Tharp for a year and a half before returning home to begin his practice in Paulding. Since returning to Paulding County, Chad has been involved with serving as a contract public defender for Haralson County for two years and serving as a contract attorney for the Juvenile Court of Paulding County for 1 year. Since October of 2002, he has served as a Magistrate Judge for Paulding County, and has also served as a part time judge for the City of Hiram since 2007. Additionally, Chad has served as a Special Master on several occasions and is a registered general civil mediator and arbitrator. Chad Plumley Now off to find out a little more about all three candidates. Link to post Share on other sites
bellaprincess Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 My only contact with Chad Plumley has been in Magistrate court once and serving on the nominating committee for the Boy Scouts in Paulding County. Here's a little more info on Chad Plumley from his web site. <snip> Chad Plumley Now off to find out a little more about all three candidates. Can't "anyone" be a judge in Magistrate court? I thought the requirements were to live in county and have a high school diploma? Link to post Share on other sites
NewsJunky Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 Not sure but I think Dick has an office in Paulding too. Link to post Share on other sites
Cathyhelms Posted June 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 Not sure but I think Dick has an office in Paulding too. I know he used to. His web site has a Douglasville address and I can only find a PO Box in Hiram. My link Link to post Share on other sites
peachesga Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 Dick does not have an office in Paulding, but he does live in Paulding. Link to post Share on other sites
AcworthDad Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 I've had experience with Drew Lane when he prosecuted Rodney Clark, the young man whose reckless driving resulted in a head on collision with my son's truck and killed Clark's 6 year old son. My only comments are that the case was not prosecuted in as timely a fashion as I would have liked and that Clark got off with a sentence that was far too light. Link to post Share on other sites
Cathyhelms Posted June 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 Can't "anyone" be a judge in Magistrate court? I thought the requirements were to live in county and have a high school diploma? You're right, we have at least one Magistrate Judge that has no legal background at all. I've had experience with Drew Lane when he prosecuted Rodney Clark, the young man whose reckless driving resulted in a head on collision with my son's truck and killed Clark's 6 year old son. My only comments are that the case was not prosecuted in as timely a fashion as I would have liked and that Clark got off with a sentence that was far too light. Interesting. Thanks for the info. Dick does not have an office in Paulding, but he does live in Paulding. [/quote So why did he close the Paulding office?? Link to post Share on other sites
peachesga Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 yeah, I dont know. ? Link to post Share on other sites
Cathyhelms Posted June 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 I just have a huge issue with Donovan on this post http://paulding.com/forum/index.php?/topic/247489-wfal-v-donovan/page__pid__3193492__st__0entry3193492 and the one in another thread. Very unprofessional. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Coppertop's Pop Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 I've had experience with Drew Lane when he prosecuted Rodney Clark, the young man whose reckless driving resulted in a head on collision with my son's truck and killed Clark's 6 year old son. My only comments are that the case was not prosecuted in as timely a fashion as I would have liked and that Clark got off with a sentence that was far too light. I'd like to boot out all the incumbents and start over. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
bellaprincess Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 I think I need to start a positive/negative list on these three candidates and work from there. Any positives any of you have would be appreciated! (I can easily see the negatives! ) Link to post Share on other sites
jp184 Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 One thing I know is Dick will not be receiving my vote. Link to post Share on other sites
Cathyhelms Posted June 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 I think I need to start a positive/negative list on these three candidates and work from there. Any positives any of you have would be appreciated! (I can easily see the negatives! ) I agree, we are kind of at the lesser of three evils here. Here we go......... positive - Drew Lane, nice guy, really tries. postive - Donald R. (Dick) Donovan, nothing yet. positive - Chad Plumley, community oriented, is a great guy and serves where needed both professionally and as a volunteer. I'm sure I'll have more later but in a rush right now. Link to post Share on other sites
mrshoward Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 Chad Plumley has my vote. Link to post Share on other sites
NewsJunky Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 I agree, we are kind of at the lesser of three evils here. Here we go......... positive - Drew Lane, nice guy, really tries. (2) Always treats folks with respect (3) Tried and won the 'Silver Comet Trail Murder' and got justice for the victim postive - Donald R. (Dick) Donovan, nothing yet. (1) I hear he is good when arguing a case before the court. positive - Chad Plumley, community oriented, is a great guy and serves where needed both professionally and as a volunteer. I'm sure I'll have more later but in a rush right now. Added my additions above. I do not know Chad but have heard some good things about him. I can't speak personally for the one I added for Dick because I have never been in court to see first hand. Link to post Share on other sites
Cathyhelms Posted June 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 Added my additions above. I do not know Chad but have heard some good things about him. I can't speak personally for the one I added for Dick because I have never been in court to see first hand. Dick Donovan - I disagree about arguing a case before the court, my personal experiences with him have been just the opposite. I actually felt sorry for his client in the criminal case and I was a witness for the prosecution!!! Link to post Share on other sites
lotstodo Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 I know we have some problems currently in the DA's office with timely prosecutions and with conviction rates, but I'm not sure how much of that can be blamed on the DA personally. If Mr. Lane needed help solving these problems, he certainly hasn't been very vocal about it. In fact he seems perfectly happy to stand on his record. However, I'm willing to give Chad a try and see if we can get some improvement. I'm afraid that Mr. Donovan has shown me all I need to know about him in another thread here, and I won't be casting my vote for him under any circumstance. Link to post Share on other sites
AcworthDad Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 I know we have some problems currently in the DA's office with timely prosecutions and with conviction rates, but I'm not sure how much of that can be blamed on the DA personally. If Mr. Lane needed help solving these problems, he certainly hasn't been very vocal about it. In fact he seems perfectly happy to stand on his record. However, I'm willing to give Chad a try and see if we can get some improvement. I'm afraid that Mr. Donovan has shown me all I need to know about him in another thread here, and I won't be casting my vote for him under any circumstance. At the time that Clark was tried, there had been some significant turnover in the ADAs which is probably what delayed the trial. Link to post Share on other sites
Cabe Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 Can't believe no one has started a thread about this one. Last election this seemed to be a hot topic. I am familiar with all three candidates and have a question specifically for deadeye aka Dick Donovan. Could you please tell us why you left Paulding County and moved your practice to Douglas County?? You have been very vocal in another thread about a specific case, now can you give us some specifics about yourself?? I do not know the specifics, but Mr. Donovan has had his office in Douglas for a very long time. You may not know this, but managing a law practice with more than one office is very difficult. if he found that the majority of his clients were coming from Douglas County, it would make way more sense to simply have an office there. He's still free to practice law in any county in Georgia that he may choose. Link to post Share on other sites
feelip Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 One thing about Donovan, you can call him Dick and get away with it. Link to post Share on other sites
Cabe Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 Added my additions above. I do not know Chad but have heard some good things about him. I can't speak personally for the one I added for Dick because I have never been in court to see first hand. For the record, Drew Lane did NOT personally try the Silver Comet murder case. Link to post Share on other sites
Cabe Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 I agree, we are kind of at the lesser of three evils here. Here we go......... positive - Drew Lane, nice guy, really tries. postive - Donald R. (Dick) Donovan, nothing yet. positive - Chad Plumley, community oriented, is a great guy and serves where needed both professionally and as a volunteer. I'm sure I'll have more later but in a rush right now. I agree, Drew Lane appears to be a very nice guy. Dick Donovan is a nice man with an impressive background in criminal law and in his work prior to entering the legal profession. Chad Plumley also appears to be a very nice guy. I'm sure his ties to Foster will assist him in this election. I've not fully made my decision in this race, but I know I won't be casting my vote for Drew Lane. Link to post Share on other sites
lowrider Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 I just know that I will not be voting for Drew Lane. Link to post Share on other sites
NewsJunky Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 Dick Donovan - I disagree about arguing a case before the court, my personal experiences with him have been just the opposite. I actually felt sorry for his client in the criminal case and I was a witness for the prosecution!!! Okay, now I have heard from someone whose opinion I value very highly!! For the record, Drew Lane did NOT personally try the Silver Comet murder case. You guys keep striking down the good things I thought I knew!!! Does anybody have some things they think are good about any of these guys? Link to post Share on other sites
Cathyhelms Posted June 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 Okay, now I have heard from someone whose opinion I value very highly!! You guys keep striking down the good things I thought I knew!!! Does anybody have some things they think are good about any of these guys? While all three of these people running might be fine gentlemen, I don't think we have very good choices in this race. Too bad, it's a very important one. I think I have made up my mind. Link to post Share on other sites
Cabe Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 While all three of these people running might be fine gentlemen, I don't think we have very good choices in this race. Too bad, it's a very important one. I think I have made up my mind. I know, like and respect you and your opinions, but I think you made up your mind a long time ago. Link to post Share on other sites
Cathyhelms Posted June 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 I know, like and respect you and your opinions, but I think you made up your mind a long time ago. I knew who I wouldn't vote for a long time ago, you're right!! I respect your opinions as well, funny how we can actually talk about this and still remain friends. I think this is how it's supposed to be. Link to post Share on other sites
Cabe Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 I knew who I wouldn't vote for a long time ago, you're right!! I respect your opinions as well, funny how we can actually talk about this and still remain friends. I think this is how it's supposed to be. It is how it's supposed to be. I don't necessarily agree with all that you've said, but I've never witnessed Donovan (actually any of the candidates) in the courtroom. I do know that cases involving children can be extremely complicated. While I'm not coming out in favor of Mr. Donovan making a reply on a specific case, I also don't believe he's "leaked secrets". And I really don't believe this one case defines his entire career. I like WFAL. But I don't know all the facts surrounding her issue. She and I have never discussed it at all. Link to post Share on other sites
Mrs G Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 Shouldn't this be in the Political Forum??? Just curious........... Link to post Share on other sites
Cabe Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 Shouldn't this be in the Political Forum??? Just curious........... It's a local political race that will most likely be decided in the July 20 primary. Pubby leaves those in the countywide news. Link to post Share on other sites
ThornwoodMom Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 Does anyone know who's favored to win this race? Is there somewhere I could find a county-wide poll? Thanks! Link to post Share on other sites
bellaprincess Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 I agree, Drew Lane appears to be a very nice guy. Dick Donovan is a nice man with an impressive background in criminal law and in his work prior to entering the legal profession. Chad Plumley also appears to be a very nice guy. I'm sure his ties to Foster will assist him in this election. I've not fully made my decision in this race, but I know I won't be casting my vote for Drew Lane. I do believe I am right there with you. I really do hear nice things about Lane, as a person, as a DA, not so much. I guess with Plumley, his lack of criminal experience bothers me. If I did not have a degree in a certain area I would not want to walk in and try to teach a class in that area. If Plumley's background is not in criminal law, how will he be able to successfully try/be in charge of criminal cases? There are so many close races and hard decisions this year! Link to post Share on other sites
surepip Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 Shouldn't this be in the Political Forum??? Just curious........... General rule of thumb has always been to have local politics in the Cafe or Countywide News. When it slides over to National, it goes to the Political forum. Link to post Share on other sites
Lady Raider Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 I just know that I will not be voting for Drew Lane. That makes 2 of us sista Link to post Share on other sites
LisaC Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 I'm not looking for a community activitst, a nice guy, someone with a sweet wife. I'm looking for someone who is going to actively and agressively prosecute cases in Paulding County. Who is that person? Of the 3 choices, I'm just not sure yet. I've seen Drew Lane in action and I wasn't impressed. But, I haven't seen the other two try a case so I don't know if they are any more or less impressive. If I base my decision on experience, Donovan appears to have the most criminal trial experience and is also a former police officer. There are lots of gray areas for me in this election - almost to the point that I think it may not matter who wins, we won't be any better or worse off. Maybe Pubby could invite all three to a debate? Link to post Share on other sites
feelip Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 I'm not looking for a community activitst, a nice guy, someone with a sweet wife. I'm looking for someone who is going to actively and agressively prosecute cases in Paulding County. Who is that person? Of the 3 choices, I'm just not sure yet. I've seen Drew Lane in action and I wasn't impressed. But, I haven't seen the other two try a case so I don't know if they are any more or less impressive. If I base my decision on experience, Donovan appears to have the most criminal trial experience and is also a former police officer. There are lots of gray areas for me in this election - almost to the point that I think it may not matter who wins, we won't be any better or worse off. Maybe Pubby could invite all three to a debate? I have to wonder why anyone that is / was worth a flip as an attorney would want a county job????? Link to post Share on other sites
LisaC Posted June 28, 2010 Report Share Posted June 28, 2010 I have to wonder why anyone that is / was worth a flip as an attorney would want a county job????? I've seen a couple of older attorneys decide to do it because they were in a position financially where they could do something like that and not have to worry about billable hours any more. However, a lot of attorneys fresh out of law school do it because they can't get a job with a larger firm because of their grades and the school they chose to attend. That's also why a lot of them going into personal injury, divorce, criminal law - most of those firms aren't worried about your law school grades, they just want someone to bring in more work or help them manage their workloads. However, I'm sure there are a few out there that truly go into it with a servant's heart, but in this day, they are few and far between. Link to post Share on other sites
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