Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy on Wednesday afternoon issued a carefully worded statement on Tuesday’s County Council decision to eliminate the Superior Court seat of Judge Michael Hecht.

The council voted unanimously to eliminate Hecht’s seat a day after he resigned and a week after he was found guilty of felony harassment and paying a man for sex. The council also set aside the remaining $19,000 Hecht would have earned this year to pay pro-tem judges to hear cases. It hasn’t decided whether to include Hecht’s seat in next year’s budget, but council members say it probably won’t be included initially.

McCarthy – who learned of the council’s decision after the fact – said the move “might prove to be an innovative way to keep cases flowing through the system.” But she said she finds the council’s action “to be a curious use of the emergency ordinance process since there was adequate time to engage the community about an important issue affecting the people’s access to courts.”

To read the entire statement, go to the Political Buzz blog.

David Wickert, The News Tribune