Speed Bump

A Traffic Court judge cries foul over a promotion snub.

by Brian Hickey

A sign hangs on the door to Judge Thomasine Tynes' office at Philadelphia Traffic Court at Eighth and Spring Garden streets. It reads, "The Boss."

But on Monday, as the 17-year judicial veteran got in her robe to hear cases involving careless driving and running stop signs, it quickly became clear that someone was, in fact, the boss of her. That message came directly in the form of a memo that circulated the courthouse from fellow Traffic Court Judge Bernice DeAngelis, who announced that Gov. Rendell had named Tynes the court's president judge. It went on to wish Tynes "well in her new endeavors."

"However," DeAngelis' memo continued, "as you are aware, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has appointed me to serve as administrative judge and in that capacity I am directly responsible for the day-to-day operations of the court and have authority over all judicial, personnel and budgetary issues."

In other words, the promotion that became official for Tynes last week was a title bump that offers little additional authority. Essentially a vice president, Tynes' pay increases by about $500 a year, but she has little juice to change Traffic Court policy.

Tynes says she has no problem with not getting the perks that accompany a leadership role at a patronage-laden, cash-producing agency. The city, she says, can keep their 2001 Crown Victoria. But figuring she was next in line for the court-leadership position since she was the longest-tenured judge there, she just wants to know why she got passed over.

"It's all politics. I hate to say these things, but it has to be racial. We're both Democrats. We're both women. The only difference is she's white and I'm black," Tynes says, explaining why she thinks the state Supreme Court appointed DeAngelis, a Fumocrat, before Rendell could appoint his own candidate. "I don't know what else I can say. Maybe some deals were cut, but I don't know about them. I love my job, but I'm not about all this craziness."

As DeAngelis takes over for Republican Francis E. Kelly, who is leaving the bench to work at a consulting firm, politicos seem to be taking a hands-off approach to discussing the Traffic Court friction. A Supreme Court spokeswoman told the Inquirer that race played no role but most pols are avoiding the potentially messy fray. (U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, the head of the city's Democratic Party, didn't return calls for comment. DeAngelis didn't return an e-mailed request.) For her part, Tynes says she's just upset that she can't implement change.

"Traffic Court is a big moneymaking force but we have to remember that it's not all about money," she says. "These cases affect peoples' lives."