LEWISBURG — Except for citing differences in their legal and administrative backgrounds, the three candidates vying for Union-Snyder judge in Tuesday’s primary election answered similarly every question they heard from an audience Wednesday night at a candidates’ forum.
Asked what characteristics are most important for a judge to have, Martin R. Wilson and Brian L. Kerstetter, both of Lewisburg, and Michael H. Sholley, of Middleburg, all said professionalism, integrity and knowledge of the law.
“Life experience is important too,” Sholley said. “Plus, a judge needs to be committed to his community, to seniors, to youths.”
Sholley, 52, touted that he has been Snyder County district attorney for 10 years.
Length of experience is important, said Wilson, 55, citing his 30 years as a lawyer in Lewisburg.
Kerstetter, 35, emphasized his 10 years of work as an attorney and solicitor for various Valley townships, including Gregg and Limestone.
The candidates said having an even, focused judicial temperament is important in providing all parties involved in disputes with the opportunity to advance their position fairly.
“The court should not dictate how each side presents their cases,” Sholley said.
Judges must not fly off the handle when sitting on the bench, Kerstetter said.
“You have to cut through your emotion and listen to the facts,” he said.
They also advocated the use of alternatives to incarceration, such as drug treatment courts.
“It works,” Sholley said. “If we treat the problem, we can be successful and save the taxpayers money.”
Wilson and Kerstetter said it was appropriate to use alternatives, but it was important for judges to make sure that if someone is not sent to jail, the public is still safe.
A questioner in the audience asked what the candidates thought about plea bargaining.
“Whether you like it or not, it’s necessary or the courts would be overcrowded,” Kerstetter said.
Sholley and Wilson shared similar sentiments.
“Plea bargains are negotiations,” Sholley said. “It’s how our legal system works.”
The 10-year position is for judge of the 17th Judicial District. It pays approximately $158,000 per year.
Approximately 100 people attended the forum at Lewisburg Area High School.
Sheriff candidates questioned
After the judicial candidates finished, Ernest R. Ritter, William R. Neitz Jr. and Jim Galbraith, the three candidates for Union County sheriff, were questioned about crime in the area.
They agreed that the influx of drugs into the county must be dealt with swiftly and harshly.
Asked about gang activity, the candidates said the best way to blunt their influence is to get inside information about them and also educate the public, especially young people.
“You need a network of information to keep two steps ahead of these individuals,” Neitz said.
Ritter, the acting Union County sheriff, said: “We are winning the war on drugs. We’re doing that by working with and assisting other agencies, state and federal.”
-- E-mail comments to rdandes@dailyitem.com
News
They don’t differ
Forum answers fail to separate judge hopefuls
- News
-
-
Cases involving gas station drug sales advance to Montour County Court
DANVILLE – Three people charged with selling heroin and Oxycotin tablets during two separate transactions at a convenience store lot Jan. 2 will face court action.
-
Danville school options aired with borough council
DANVILLE — After borough officials pledged to work with school officials toward a decision on the flood-damaged middle school, council members voted not to give or sell any farmland it owns. The purpose of the unanimous action by the council Tuesday night was so the district knows that rumored option to move the school won’t happen. The borough owns a farm across from the Danville Primary School.
-
Five watershed projects receive $873,000 in state funding
NORTHUMBERLAND -- Five Valley watershed projects will get nearly $873,000 from the state Department of Environmental Protection, which announced funding for 73 projects to improve watersheds, stormwater runoff, acid mine drainage and educational programs, among other environmental efforts.
-
Dispute turns into gun threat, troopers say
After an argument in which his wife threatened divorce, William Warren Woolsey, 36, grabbed a .22-caliber rifle and told her to meet him in the bedroom, saying he would kill himself, state police at Milton said.
-
Mom allegedly beat toddlers with brush
MIFFLINBURG -- A 22-year-old Mifflinburg mother has been charged with beating her two toddlers with a hairbrush until they bled from abrasions all over their faces and bodies, state police at Milton said. The abuse came to light when Brittany Morgan Sullivan's parents came home and found the wounds on their grandchildren, according to police.
-
Commissioners give disabled Sunburian a chance
SUNBURY -- A 22-year-old disabled man asked the Northumberland County commissioners a life-changing question last week. "Can I have a job?" Giuseppe Bua, of Sunbury, was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a genetic disorder in which bones break easily. Sometimes the bones break for no known reason. The disorder also can cause weak muscles, brittle teeth, a curved spine and hearing loss.
-
Trucking firm to add 25 drivers
MILTON -- The president of Watsontown Trucking Co. said Tuesday that his firm will be hiring 25 truck drivers in addition to several diesel technician and management positions, all due to expansion. President Steve Patton said the company, which has been in the Milton Industrial Park since 2004, bought 14 additional acres in the park, adding 10,000 square feet of office space and maintenance facilities. Construction on the new space, he said, will begin shortly and is targeted to be completed by June.
-
Mayor wants trucks to help fund roads
SUNBURY -- Mayor David Persing is frustrated with truck traffic entering the former Celotex site on North Front Street, and he wants to do something about it. Charge an impact fee. Gas companies have paid millions to repair roads damaged by trucks in the Marcellus shale region, and Persing wants to levy a fee to compensate the city for damage to roads caused by trucks hauling drilling waste through the city. About $25 per truck per visit, he said.
-
18-year-old dies in truck crash on Routes 11-15
LIVERPOOL -- An 18-year old Selinsgrove man was killed when his pickup truck collided with a tractor-trailer on Routes 11-15 in Perry County.
-
Reactions to budget plan mixed
SUNBURY -- Reaction to Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed 2012-2013 budget came from all directions Tuesday.
-
Proposal alters school funding
HARRISBURG -- Gov. Tom Corbett has proposed steady funding for K-12 basic education in his $27.1 billion budget for 2012-13. But how school districts get their money will change as four line items will be combined into one block grant for most basic education funding. That has made for some debate about any actual increase to basic education.
-
High school roundup: Rosini pin lifts Ironmen over Tigers
DANVILLE -- Steven Rosini's pin over Connor Houseknecht in 37 seconds in the final bout of the day at 132 pounds prevented disaster for Danville as the Ironmen pulled out a 40-36 Heartland Athletic Conference crossover victory on Tuesday.
- More News Headlines
-
Cases involving gas station drug sales advance to Montour County Court
