Local names top judge survey

Two familiar names top the list of judicial candidate survey scores among six people being considered for a new Kenai District Court judgeship.

Kenai District Court Magistrate David S. Landry and former Kenai assistant district attorney John W. Wolfe are heading the list being evaluated by the Alaska Judicial Council. Each had a score of 4.0 in overall professional performance.

Applicants are rated on a scale of 1 to 5.

Others being considered include Margaret L. Murphy and Andy Hemenway, who each scored 3.7; Vincent Di Napoli, who scored 3.4; and Vince Curry, who scored 3.2.

Murphy is a magistrate and special master in Aniak; Hemenway is a hearing officer for the state in Juneau; Di Napoli is a magistrate and Superior Court master in Cordova; and Curry is a private practice attorney.

All the candidates for the Kenai position, except Landry, also have applied for an opening with the Palmer District Court.

Wolfe heads that list with an overall score of 4.1.

Another applicant, Kenai private practice attorney Carol Brenckle, withdrew her application for the Kenai District Court position.

The judicial council considers candidates' professional competence, integrity, fairness, judicial temperament and the suitability of their experience for the vacancy.

In addition to the evaluations, the council checks all references, any criminal or disciplinary charges against the candidate, credit history and any court cases in which the candidate has been involved.

The council interviews each candidate and conducts public hearings on them before deciding on three or more names to recommend to the governor for selection.

The public hearing on the Kenai candidates will be in the Kenai Courthouse in courtroom C at noon Oct. 7. People also may submit written comments to the Alaska Judicial Council, 1029 West Third Ave., Anchorage, AK 99501-1969.