My Campaign of 2007 for magisterial district judge started shortly after retiring from the Federal Government in 2003. I was interested in returning to Forest County and running, for what was then an open position in the Marienville Office. Did I really want another career? After several months of retirement, yes, I really needed to do something. Have never run a campaign, but being close to judges and political figures, I began questioning everyone I knew who had run for office. Advice was plentiful, but in the end the decisions were mine. I decided to approach this, as I have most things, with a dedication to win and to do the best job I could. One bit of advice that I chose to ignore, was to run for office, and then get certified if elected. That way I would lose nothing. This was not my way of doing things, so in June of 2006, I attended the month long certification training. The training was primary taught by attorneys and covered criminal, civil and miscellaneous issues. Criminal law was not much of an issue for me since I had worked and taught in that area my entire career. Civil law proved to be more challenging since probation officers are seldom involved with such matters. Certification is difficult, with approximately a third of the class passing the course. Fortunately, I became certified.

I returned to Forest County and began preparing to run in the April 2007 primary. This too was a learning experience. Petitions came out in February, which was an extremely cold and snowy month. I traveled to every village, town or house I could get to. Meeting people in the community is by far the best part of an election. I met many people who knew my brother since he was a dentist in Marienville and a few that still remembered my father. I met a number of folks who had signed one of my two opponents’ petitions, but still had issues and areas of interest to talk about. In summary, the people of Forest County are gracious and accepting of someone running for office.

 

After winning both parties in the April primary, I went on to receive an appointment by then Governor Ed Rendell.  I was sworn in during August of that year and served in the Marienville Office, Court 37-4-03, until January of 2008. During this time, I had the benefit of working with an experienced Judge, Michael Fedora, who was sitting in the Tionesta Court.   The two courts in Forest County were joined between August and December and are now covered by one magistrate judge.