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Vote for the Woman
By Rita O’Hara
No, I’m not talking about the race for President. My childhood friend, Mary Mallen, is running for Superior Court Judge in June, but you’d never know it to read the Chronicle columnists – all they talk about are the two men in the race.
I am an elected member of the Republican County Central Committee and my longtime friend Mary Mallen is a Democrat. Judicial races are non-partisan. And they should be - we want our judges to be fair and impartial. Knowing Mary Mallen as I do, I guarantee you that she will make a great judge.
Allow me to tell you something about Mary.
Mary and I have been friends since our grammar school days in the Marina District. Growing up, everyone knew the Mallen kids. How could you not - they are fifth generation San Franciscans and there are nine of them. The Mallens had a famous blue Dodge van that they would drive from their home in the west of Twin Peaks to the Marina where most of their kids went to school. On the way they would pick up any kid in a Marina school uniform. Some days you would see twenty kids get out of that van. Mary’s sister Carrie has been one of my dearest friends since those days. And if you’re friends with one of the Mallens, you’re friends with them all. Their door was always open whether you and your family needed a place to go on Thanksgiving, or you just wanted to watch movies on a Friday night. This tradition has continued - the Mallen grandkids and my three children grew up like siblings with Aunt Mary playing a major role in all their lives.
Mary’s father was Judge William Mallen, who was also well known because he was a great basketball player at SI and then at USF during the Bill Russell era. Some of you may remember when Judge Mallen passed away on the bench in the middle of a trial in 1992. It was a great loss to the San Francisco bench and to everyone who knew and loved him. I for one would like to see someone with his strong impression for fairness back on the bench. I believe Mary has all the traits that made her father a great judge.
The wonderful thing about owning and operating a small business like I do is getting to know the community you serve. Mary knows what that’s like – before she went back to college she owned a Double Rainbow Ice Cream franchise, much to the delight of my children. Mary ran the store until she returned to college, graduating with Honors from UC Berkeley, and then from her father’s alma mater, USF School of Law. She passed the bar exam the first time out and was sworn in, in December of 1996. She has never forgotten what it was like to work the long hours in the ice cream store, opening early and staying late. She will relate to the people who will come to her courtroom because she hasn’t spent her life working for the government, like at least one of the men running against her.
Mary Mallen is the only candidate in this contest that has seen both sides of a courtroom. Mary decided when her father died that she was going to follow in his footsteps and become a judge, so she went about getting the best experience for the position. She prosecuted criminals in the San Francisco District Attorney’s office, and then defended indigent citizens in the San Francisco Public Defender’s office. Now she is in private practice, with both criminal and civil cases.
I think it’s important for judges to be non-partisan. The courtroom is no place for politicians, or even former politicians. The judicial temperament required by the State Bar for service in the courts is not compatible with that of an activist, whether left-leaning or right-leaning, and that is why under the Judicial Code of Ethics political affiliations and activities are not permitted of judicial officeholders or candidates. For that reason, Mary is doing her best to campaign across political party lines, and I commend her efforts.
Mary Mallen’s opponents in this race are Judge Thomas Mellon, appointed by Pete Wilson many years ago, and Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval, who is termed out of office and apparently seeking a new government job. In my humble opinion, Mary is better qualified than either of them, both in breadth of experience and quality of character, judgment and temperament.
Please remember to vote for Mary Mallen for Superior Court Judge, Seat 12, on June 3rd.
Rita O’Hara is on the Republican County Central Committee and member of the Dan O’Hara family, owners and operators of McEvoy-O’Hara Mortuary.
