Dellwo Running For Superior Court Post
State Rep. Dennis Dellwo wants to be a Spokane County Superior Court judge.
To achieve his goal, announced Wednesday, Dellwo must dislodge a freshly seated Neal Q. Rielly.
A short but intense campaign is promised by both candidates in the county’s only judicial race.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Neal. I’m running because I think I’d make a good choice, too,” Dellwo said in declaring his candidacy.
“The people should be the judge of judges.”
Rielly boasts solid backing from the legal community and got a head start on his rival in terms of campaigning. His green-and-white signs sprouted within hours of last month’s appointment.
But Dellwo is considered a formidable challenger due to vastly superior name recognition and the popularity he enjoys in his central Spokane district.
The Democrat has spent the past 13 years in the public spotlight as a lawyer-politician who led the charge for health-care reform.
A partner at Winston & Cashatt, a Spokane law firm, Dellwo, 50, began his career in 1971 as a public defender and legal-aid lawyer on the Colville Indian Reservation.
Frustrated with “mean-spirited” state politics, Dellwo said he has lobbied Gov. Mike Lowry for an appointment to Superior Court.
But he watched from the sidelines as the governor recently named Spokane lawyer Paul Bastine, and then Superior Court Commissioner Rielly, to vacant seats on the bench.
Sworn in Monday, Rielly replaces Judge Harold Clarke, who retired after 21 years.
Rielly, 51, has spent the past 6-1/2 years as a commissioner in the same court, hearing juvenile and domestic relations cases.
A lawyer since 1976, he was a former partner in Taft, Rielly & Mackin, a Spokane firm.
Besides Dellwo, no other candidate sought Rielly’s seat during a special, three-day filing period that closed Wednesday afternoon.
The winner Nov. 7 fills the remaining year of Clarke’s term. The job pays $99,000 a year.
Besides being disillusioned with politics, Dellwo said being a lawmaker has taken a toll on his personal life. The father of two said he is separated from his wife.
“It can destroy families and disrupt your life immensely,” he said. “I would like to come home.”
As for being a judge, Dellwo cited his “very diverse” experience in civil and criminal defense law. He now specializes in personal injury and administrative law cases.
Dellwo follows the lead of other veteran lawmakers in pursuing a jump from statehouse to courthouse.
Former Rep. Mike Padden was appointed by Spokane County commissioners to serve as a District Court judge earlier this year. Janice Niemi, a former 12-year legislator, is running for King County Superior Court.
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