By Joseph Ax
NEW YORK, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Democrat Nelida Malave-Gonzalez
coasted to an easy victory in the election for Bronx Surrogate,
turning aside Republican challenger Frances O'Leary, according
to the city's Board of Elections.
Malave-Gonzalez, a Bronx Civil Court judge, won more than 90
percent of the vote on Election Day, though results have been
released only in the last week. She will take over Jan. 1 from
Lee Holzman, who is facing disciplinary charges from the state's
judicial conduct commission for failing to fire a lawyer in his
court who billed hundreds of thousands of dollars in advance
before performing work.
Holzman, who has reached the mandatory retirement age of 70,
has denied the accusations. The commission has not yet reached a
decision on whether to sustain the charges.
In Brooklyn, meanwhile, three incumbents -- Cheryl Chambers,
a justice in the Appellate Division, Second Department; Barry
Kamins, administrative judge of New York City Criminal Court;
and Acting Supreme Court Justice William Miller -- were easily
re-elected, according to preliminary results from the city's
elections board.
The three ran on the Democratic, Republican and Conservative
lines, defeating two Working Families challengers.
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