MADISON COUNTY, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — With three weeks until Election Day, voters in Madison County are already choosing between two candidates for county judge through absentee voting.
But only one name is printed on the ballot: Bradley Moses.
Moses was the unopposed candidate, endorsed by the county’s Republican and Conservative Committees, when he overdosed on illegal drugs, as police claim.
Since the incident, both parties revoked their endorsements and put forth a new candidate, Rhonda Youngs, whose name has to be written on the ballot by each voter.
When asked about her opponent, Youngs spoke delicately. She said: “To be a judge, you’ve got have to the experience, certainly, but you need the character, reputation, and support of your peers.”
Her words in an interview with NewsChannel 9 were much softer than calling Moses “unfit” on her campaign website and in flyers mailed to voters.
The Moses Family is one household that received the campaign ad, as the candidate shared with NewsChannel 9 in his first television interview.
Asked about the ad, Moses said: “People are sick of politics of personal destruction. I know I’m a good person. Good people make mistakes.”
Moses lost his job as an assistant district attorney and as president of the Madison County Bar Association. He doesn’t think he’s been disqualified from a judge’s seat.
“Judges bring with them life experiences to the bench,” said Moses. “This is now one of my life experiences and will be for the rest of my life. I know I’m the best person for this job… This one event doesn’t erase that.”
