Wendy Depaul

He conducts himself in a professional manner, which might come from his 23 years of on and off teaching at Stetson, USF and University of Tampa.

July 10, 2020 | Author Gene Siudut From As We Heard It, by: Patrick Manteiga July 10, 2020 In the Group 39 Circuit Judge race, incumbent Judge Scott Stephens is being challenged by Wendy DePaul. The reason Judge Stephens has a challenger is last year he made it known he would leave the bench to pursue other opportunities. He then changed his mind to say he may be leaving the bench. Later, he said he was staying because other opportunities were no longer options. He told us he enjoys the job and would likely keep on until 65, but he told others during his campaign he might stay on another two years out of the six-year term before retiring. Judge Stephens is smart, experienced and runs his court well, although he seems to have some critics among lawyers. He has also contributed much more than sitting in the court over his 19 years on the bench. He wrote a manual for judges on family law and helped bring technology to the courts. He conducts himself in a professional manner, which might come from his 23 years of on and off teaching at Stetson, USF and University of Tampa. Being a judge is a public service, it’s not a job. If you’re not passionate about it, you should leave. It’s not where you suffer another year or two to pad your retirement account. It’s not to be used as something to do for those fearing retirement. To us, it’s clear Judge Stephens doesn’t have the passion and is already focused on retirement and finding something that excites him more. Wendy DePaul is passion