Gerry Richman Hates To Count Votes More Than Twice.

Well I was regaled this morning by John the shoeshine guy, who filled my head outside the courthouse with stories of Sugar Mountain, with the barkers and the colored balloons.

Actually he was telling me about his old outlaw days, before he found God, and how he used to help out all the high-priced lawyers, bankers, politicians, and muckety-mucks up there
in DC-land, where dope, hope, and bloat all live in cozy three-part harmony.

But he cleaned up his act, he's got the best shoeshine in town, and he's living the straight and narrow. Give the man a ten-spot, you cheap bastards.

Can we say the same for this town? Of course not -- it's still as crazy as ever.

And as crazy as Miami looks, the judicial scene just north of the border looks crazier still. And now it looks like the whole mishagosh is infecting Palm Beach County:

Circuit Judge Richard Wennet on Monday announced he will appeal the outcome of the Palm Beach County primary and ask for a special election to redo the race.

For three months, attorneys for Wennet and the man who unseated him, attorney William Abramson, have battled in court over a messy judicial election that involved misplaced ballots, multiple recounts and questionable counting machines.

Complicating matters further for Abramson is an unresolved Florida Bar complaint against him that could result in suspension of his law license. The judicial race between the two was always close. After the first machine and hand recounts in August, Wennet led by 60 votes. But problems at the Supervisor of Elections Office led to two more sets of recounts. Abramson won by 61 votes.

Wennet challenged the outcome in court in Tallahassee, but lost. His attorney, Gerald Richman, said they are appealing because they believe elections officials never should have gone beyond the first recount. "You can't have multiple recounts," Richman said.

David Shiner, Abramson's lawyer, was surprised by the appeal. "Our client Bill Abramson received more votes than Judge Wennet. That's an unequivocal fact," he said. "I find it very disingenuous and I think they're trying to strip the voters of their rights."

Wennet is seeking a new election, possibly in March during the scheduled municipal elections.

Oy. Maybe David is right, there's got to be a better way to select a judge.