LEOAFFAIRS.COM Endorses Samantha Ward for Circuit Judge

[leoaffairs]

http://www.leoaffairs.info/samantha_ward.jpg

Samantha's father retired as a U.S. Air Force pilot and then became a Deputy Sheriff. She followed by becoming a prosecutor with the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office and then an Assistant Public Defender. Now, with an excellent reputation, she's running for Circuit Judge (Group 44) against Jesse Dominguez, Emily Pea**** and John "Jay" Rudy III. We've known her for years, we trust her and she has our vote.

Here's her Bio:

Office of the Public Defender, Hillsborough County, 1993-Present
Major Crimes Bureau Chief since 2003
Felony Bureau Chief, 1997-2003
Misdemeanor/Juvenile Bureau Chief, 1994-1997

Office of the State Attorney, Hillsborough County, 1990-1993
Felony Trial Attorney
Misdemeanor Trial Attorney
Juvenile Trial Attorney

J.D., Florida State University College of Law, 1990

B.A., University of Florida, 1987

Board Certified, Criminal Trial Law, 1997-Present

Board of Directors, Trial Lawyers Section, Hillsborough County Bar Association, 2005-Present

Human Relations Board, Hillsborough County Commission, 1998-Present

Board of Directors, Tampa Firefighters Museum, 2001-2005

Board of Directors, Florida Public Defenders Association, 1997-2004

Mentoring Committee, Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers, 1995-2000

Planning Committee, Juvenile Justice Council, 1994-1996

Institutional Review Board, University of South Florida

Mentor, Palm River Elementary, Hillsborough County Public Schools

Member, Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church

Cub Scout Den Mother to Alec and Troop 648

Chip,
quit sucking up to Brian Blair. the last time samantha ward and her family were involved in public service it was involving strippers at her house that led to the biggest scandal in the tampa Fire department. Her husband is Al Suarez who almost single handedly drove the Tampa Fire Union into the ground. Is that what you call judicial restraint???

Just because of that reply...she has my vote...i love it

Why is it that some knuckle head has to bring up the past? She shouldn't be judged by what her husband did anymore than you would hope you wouldn't be crucified for anything your family members did. That doesn't take away from the fact she is good friends with a lot of officers here at TPD and has always supported us whether she was the state or the pd. Get off of your high horse because she had nothing to do with the firefighters or our union issues. Judge her for her abilities as an attorney which she is well qualified and for her character. Samantha Ward for Judge!!

Samantha should not be judged by what her husband did. He obviously did something very stupid and ultimately paid a huge price. Does she have to keep paying also? I sure hope your not a friend of Travis's cause if you are I guess you think he should pay for his incident for the rest of his life and so on anyone else who makes a mistake. She's well qualified her father joined the sheriffs office after years in the military and she has nothing but respect and fairness for LEO's. Stop living in the past and get over yourself Mr. Perfect!

I agree with the last two posts. I voted for Samantha via mail in vote. She is very qualified to be a Judge. As a veteran investigator I have always found her to be fair as a prosecutor and as a public defender.The incident that AL was involved in was stupid on his part and he has paid for it by retiring earlier than he wanted too and the embarassment to himself and his family. She had no involvement in his misdeeds. His stupidity should not disqualify her as a very good candidate for judge.

Hey cops you all have done something stupid but just didn't get caught. All the people running don't give a crap about the tax payer anyway. Just their pockets.

I think she should be judged on any past offenses. She has no problem sitting on that bench destroying family's and making her own judgements. She destroyed my family in one day. I never should have been in her court room. My other children are only 1.5 yrs younger than the child she took away from me. She looked at me as a druggie although i have been sober for almost the entire time my daughter has been alive. I go to sleep with such a heavy empty heart because of this woman. I cry so hard I can't breath. I never got to go to a mediator. Child protective services took my brother and I away from my father yet he got custody of my little girl he drank heavily for over 40yrs!!! I did drugs for no more than 4. I stopped before I turned 30! Started in my mid 20's!!!! I worry about my little girls mental health daily what do I say to her if she looks for me as a teenager? I can't tell her I think she was stolen. I can't prove any innocence on my part because that would destroy her at a time when she needs stability. WHY! I am a good Mom. B4 drugs I coached cheerleading my family is broken. I hope she wins nothing all in one day my life was irreversably broken. I hope she "enjoyed" her sons game.

So the other day I took my 3 yr old daughter to a friends house to play....Her friends Gramma was visiting and she went in the house to meet her and said...."I have a Gramma!, I had a Grandpa that lives right down the road but he does not want to see me or my brother AND he stoled my big sister Jawynn." Everyone in the room was pretty speechless and I kinda laughed it off. She has been saying this stuff daily. I have completely stopped talking about it atleast while she is awake and tried to tell her that Grandpa would see her but he was just really busy. Before Judge Ward terminated my rights they all saw eachother often so it is very hard for her to comprehend that anychild can get taken from a Mommy. One night after the kids were in bed I lay awake crying in my own bed in came my daughter again she is so young she touched my face and said "don't worry Mommy she will come back." I feel like a bad mother she always seems to be listening and is so comprehensive on all of this. There is really no one that I can discuss this with as my Mom is just as angry and it is hard to hear it. My siblings I try not to make them feel as if they are caught in the middle. My 13 yr old daughter called me late one night in hysterics because she thinks that her grandfather will die and her sister will move away. It is so hard to keep telling these kids especially my 13 yr. old that thier Grandpa really loves them. It is so hard for me to make sence of the whole situation. When I moved here I was 21 and had saved up $10,000 so he and I could start a business at that time I rented a cute little house in St.Pete he lived in a Storage Unit and took Showers at a campground out by Fort. Desoto. I wish I had never came here to be closer to him. I never did drugs back home. I can't even begin to describe the devastation that I created while using drugs but all of that came to an end shortly after I gave birth to the girl that was taken she was only 10mths old at that time and 5 when my rights were taken. I remember hte day my father and I got into the fight they made it sound as if I chose my boyfriend whom was living at The Salvation Army - Why would I choose to be homeless, I wanted to stay it was not even my fightand it was over fixing a breaklight. God Please Help my fmaily cuz my insides ache daily. I threw her a party when she was two my father would not let me bring any other kids. He yelled at me for wrapping presents but she opened them but it was when she blew the candle out (that he told me not to light) that I really got angry he called his girlfriend telling her all about it and right there in front of me they planned a party with children involved. In court he made it sound as if he had exhausted his effort to bring her to me always although I was not allowed at thier house so he had to meet me. One time and one time only did I ask him to bring her across the bridge cuz my car broke down at the end of my driveway but he said $20.00 was not enough I needed $30.00 It was Easter and he would not allow me to give her a basket.

I just wish that she had not terminated my rights before that day we atleast worked togather and now my family is completely broken. I have begged him to see my daughter telling him that I would never say anything bad that if we worked hard enough that this could just be the normal situation we could say that it is because they could provide better, have her own room anything just please let us all be a family but she gave him all the power and now I can not see her at all because that is what she chooses. He said in his letter that maybe when she is 10 she could "meet" me. She already knows me right now. I am afraid actually that they will bring her to me to "meet " me at 10 what could I possibly say to her. I am so scared she is going to be messed up and I strongly feel that if we were just kept united she would have less ???'s At ten she will be seeking her own answers and coming to her own conclusions as much as I want to validate myself to her I think it would ultimately destroy her. I hope she never gets transcripts. I hope she is centered. I HATE YOU JUDGE WARD with every breath I take. I figure your son must be 10 or younger for you to go to a game. Imagine if the state had taken him when your husband was involved in his strippers and then no matter what you did thwarted you and gave him away. just imagine for a moment never smelling him or hugging him, pushing him on a swing or being forced to miss birthday after birthday because they did not want to introduce you to thier friends because it would cause them to ask to many ?'s and they did not know the situation at all. Imagine buying clothes nice clothes only to always see your child in pants that had holes in the pockets of thier jeans. Not one outfit did I see on my daughter that I bought. Imagine having a child that has crooked bangs!!! I know that sounds silly but the kids I do have and thier sister that lives with her father I deck those kids out! I don't even think a girl looks finished until her hair is done and they....oh who cares I'm done for the night. I have to get up early to take the kids to the park my 3yr.old can ride her bike and her two year old brother just got a littlejeep so he can finally keep up

If she should not be judged by her past as many of you are suggesting than why is her bio posted. The best predictor of future conduct is past behavior. As far as her husband is concerned “Tell me what company you keep and I'll tell you who you are.” All the evidence points to the conclusion that she is a looser.

So my two other children are playing in their little pool it is Sat. I am teaching Brian how to ride his tricycle since his sister can take off on her Dora bike. I remember when I taught thier big sister to ride her bike. I ordered all the info on my case as if it would do anything but I still wanted it. I discovered Mediation was ordered but since they did not have a valid address for me it got waived. My Dad is so underhanded. How do I find out what address he gave them because he always knew where I lived. It was not as if I was ever unattainable. I believe he purposely gave a false address to gain custody of my daughter. I even think that I may have been living with him at the time that these papers got mailed. I will find a way to enter my daughters life. I have other children not much younger than her and we live to close to eachother. I get along with everyone, an know that I am a gr8 Mom it can't be hard to find a backdoor in. All the kids have to do is see eachother or just for her to see me. It is not as if I am a stranger to her at all. My eyes are always open for her in all the stores and at all the parks, the beaches everywhere. I followed a girl in the park not to long ago all because of her hair. I was glad I had my kids with me my heart was beating so fast. I knew though that it was not really her I just wanted it to be so bad. I wanted her to turn and see me - to run to me. I wanted to lift her into my arms and hold her so close and smell her soft blond hair. see those dimples so deep in her cheeks. Someday this will happen I know it will I will find a way before she is to old. I will force my father to see that he is making a HUGE mistake and that it could destroy her his making these big decisions for my baby. I pray daily for God to intervene and help my family. I pray daily for my Lifetime Story Hero to come in brandishing a sword and slaying my demons that I live with daily.

Lady, you need to go to a counselor.

From what you have posted on here, I would remove all of your children.