Attorney and candidate for judge of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Matt Rogers today released the following statement explaining why he chose to forgo seeking the endorsement of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee.
“I chose to not seek the Allegheny County Democratic Committee endorsement because I believe the process, by its very nature, is undemocratic and does not empower voters to choose candidates for themselves. While our campaign could easily afford to pay the $8,000 fee to seek the endorsement, the cost is prohibitive for many qualified candidates who do not possess the means to pay such an exorbitant fee. In addition, I believe the endorsement process harkens back to the days of smoke-filled back rooms where political deals were cut, many times in the interest of insiders and at the expense of voters."
“My candidacy is based solely on my qualifications as an attorney who has the experience and temperament to serve the people of Allegheny County on the Court of Common Pleas. The decision of who will be honored to serve the people of Allegheny County on the bench should be left to the voters and the voters alone. There is no place for politics on the bench, and I believe the citizens are best served by judges who are committed to service without having to compromise themselves by cozying-up to political insiders through a flawed process."
“Let all of the candidates run on their merits and let the people of Allegheny County decide for themselves.”
