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THE RACE FOR COUNTY JUDGE GROUP 11

 
Published Nov. 1, 1990|Updated Oct. 18, 2005

An assistant state attorney and a lawyer in private practice are squaring off for Hillsborough County judge in Group 11. Christine Vogel, 36, is a Jacksonville native who has spent her legal career as a trial lawyer. Her opponent is Dick Greco Jr., a 36-year-old former prosecutor and county attorney who has been in private practice five years. They were the top two vote-getters in the primary Oct. 2.

The judicial seat was vacated when County Judge Charles Wilson resigned earlier this year to become a U.S. magistrate.

Vogel, a graduate of the Florida State University law school, worked for the state attorney's office in Polk County from 1982 to 1985. She has been an assistant state attorney in Hillsborough since 1985.

Vogel, who was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1982, says her experience as a trial lawyer, her close work with child sexual assault cases and her "very even temperament" qualify her for the job.

Greco cites his varied experience and his work as a bailiff while studying law at the South Texas College of Law as qualifications for the judgeship. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1982.

Greco, the son of a former Tampa mayor, worked for the Hillsborough state attorney's office before going into private practice.

If elected to the seat, both candidates say they would try to help all people involved in the legal process.

"I'd like to make people feel they are going to get a fair shake when they go to the local courts," Greco said.

"I see the county court as for the people," Vogel said. "I want to make it work for the people. It's their system."

_ JANITA POE

THE JOB

County judges preside over criminal traffic and misdemeanor cases and civil traffic infractions. They also handle civil suits that involve claims less than $10,000. They serve four-year terms and are paid $76,851 a year.

CANDIDATE

DICK GRECO JR., 36, was born in Tampa. He received a bachelor's degree from Auburn University and a law degree from the South Texas College of Law. He has worked for the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Lakeland and the Hillsborough state attorney's office. Greco, a former bailiff in Texas, worked in private practice from 1985 to 1988 and returned to private practice this year. He has specialized in criminal, family, personal injury and land-use law. ASSETS: Home, bonds, savings. LIABILITIES: Mortgage, loans. INCOME: Law practice.

CANDIDATE

CHRISTINE VOGEL, 36, was born and raised in Jacksonville. She served in the Navy from 1973 to 1977and earned bachelor's and law degrees from Florida State University. Vogel worked for the state attorney's office in Polk County before joining the Hillsborough state attorney's office in 1985. She specializes in juvenile sexual abuse cases. ASSETS: Homes, savings. LIABILITIES: Mortgage, loans. INCOME: Salary.