Schechter is not so willing to accept that explanation. "I think all the complaints are valid and will be proven right in a court of law," says the chairman, who turned material supporting the complaints over to the district attorney.
Assistant District Attorney Bill Taylor, who has been in contact with Schechter, refused to comment on whether he is investigating the judge's alleged campaign violations.
Galik had another campaign setback just last week, when she was one of only four incumbent judges who were outpolled by challengers in the Houston Bar Association poll. Opponent Connolly beat her in a 762726 vote. Galik dismissed that airily by saying she does a good job and does not have much faith in polls.
The Republican attorney who earlier questioned Galik's objectivity on adultery says the doubts about the judge around the courthouse center on her political rather than legal judgment. When she caught heat for her acceptance of Hotze's freebies, the attorney recalls that Galik replied, "I thought that was one of the perks of the office."
While this source says Galik is good at working with litigants and attorneys in her court, he allows that "she probably doesn't have good judgment when it comes to political or [related] implications of her office. If you can divide those two roles, I think you'll understand Annette."
Galik appears to have trouble understanding how the personal side of her life relates to her public office.
The judge got a quickly processed divorce in November 1996 in neighboring Montgomery County to part from her husband of 26 years, Albert R. Galik. "This was an amicable divorce," Judge Galik claimed at the time. "It was an action we felt needed to be taken in our best interests and the interests of our children." Other sources say the parting was not nearly so smooth, and involved allegations her husband lifted phone messages from her answering machine.
Last year Galik requested that District Attorney Johnny Holmes have her office searched for possible phone taps and listening devices. D.A. investigator Kenny Rogers had the office electronically swept and found nothing. Holmes says that Rogers determined that Galik had been negligent in changing the password on her answering machine, and that someone had tapped into it and stolen her phone messages.
The judge's affair with Athari seems to have at least contributed to her divorce, judging by an item that ran in Chronicle gossipist Maxine Mesinger's column nine months before the Galiks' divorce. "Judge Annette Galik celebrated her recent birthday with Magic Island owner Dr. Mohammad Athari and a few friends at (where else?) Magic Island...."
Athari repeatedly warned Galik she had to stop leaving graphic love messages on his phone answering and paging machine because of the danger that her ex-husband could somehow intercept them and their relationship might become public.
"We must be smart simply because of you until November," cautioned Athari. "If that's in [the news]paper then they think you are ... people think she's deceiving, stealing, not a moral person. People would think about these things."
Galik was quick to agree. "Papers would love that kind of an article. We don't need to give them anything."
Athari kept returning to the subject. "You don't want something to happen to [the judgeship]. I know how difficult it is to get this, and you cannot take it for granted."
Again, Galik seemed the model of discretion. "You have to be careful," she allowed to her lover. "Politics is strange, and things happen, and you can lose out in a heartbeat."
Toward the end of the discussion, Athari suggested to Galik that perhaps she could be seen around the courthouse with other men, just to draw the hounds off their trail until the election was over.
At that the judge replied, "As long as you don't mind.... I'd rather lose this election than have you think I was out with another man."
Now there's a real lapse in judgment.
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