Day: October 9, 2015

This election season, I find myself in a strange situation.

I’m a lifelong Democrat. I’ve always voted for Democrats. I’ve even been heard to say that voting Republican is a moral failing. And yet I find myself planning to vote for not one but TWO Republicans in the November General Election.

What am I thinking? I know these two Republicans professionally. They are the best candidates for their respective jobs.

Ronald McGlaughlin for Judge (Read my Endorsement)

Christine Millinder for Register of Wills (Read my Endorsement)

I am supporting Ronald McGlaughlin for Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Centre County. The Republican candidate to replace Judge Bradley Lunsford, who is retiring from the Bench at the end of his term, has been a mentor to me since I started practicing law. When I left the Public Defender Office and started my own firm, Ron was always available to answer questions. No matter how odd the inquiry, Ron always has some sage advice to offer. Very few attorneys know more about the process and procedures in the Court of Common Pleas.

Both of the candidates for Judge are well-respected attorneys, and we really can’t go wrong with either of them on the Bench. All things being equal, I find myself looking to the needs of the court.

It is no secret that we’ve been roiled by turmoil, disruption, and acrimony for months now. Without rehashing the drama here, it is sufficient to note that, of our four judges, only two are hearing criminal cases. That, combined with the District Attorney’s decision to pursue stiffer penalties for all offenses, has led to an inflated number of cases in the system. Frankly, we are struggling here.

This is where the differences in the candidates come into play.

Katie Oliver is a smart lawyer, and a fine litigator. Most of her experience has been in Federal court, however, which is a distinctly different beast from the Courts of Common Pleas. Ron McGlaughlin, on the other hand, has been practicing criminal law for two decades. In the long-run, either of these attorneys would be fine jurists and a credit to the Bench. Ron will be prepared to handle criminal cases from day one, and that is why I am supporting him for Judge.

I am supporting Christine Millinder for Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans’ Court.

When I left the Public Defender Office and opened my own firm several years ago, I found myself practicing areas of civil law that were largely new to me. Estates. Adoptions. Child Dependency cases. Appeals of the foregoing cases. I was often lost, and always found Christine Millinder to be a calm, competent, and knowledgable resource in her office.

Now, several years later, I mostly know what I am doing. I cannot express how reassuring it is to know that someone like Christine is serving as the Acting Clerk of the Orphans’ Court. I often say that institutional memory and experience are underrated. Nowhere is that more clear than in this office. It is vital, and Christine represents the latest link in an unbroken chain of knowledge and experience stretching back for decades.

Roger Bierly was first elected Register of Wills in 1983. When Bierly became ill in 2005, his Chief Deputy Clerk, Kimberly Barton, was named Acting Clerk. Barton herself stood for election in 2007 and was re-elected in 2011. In 2014, Barton stepped down for medical reasons, and her Chief Deputy Clerk, Christine Millinder, was named Acting Clerk. We are fortunate to have the knowledge and experience of decades distilled into Christine.

The Clerk of the Orphans’ Court is an important role of the Register of Wills. It is vital that this job be done by someone who knows the intricate rules governing the highly specialized areas of law that involve that office. Those of us whose practices rely on that office working flawlessly truly appreciate Christine’s knowledge and professionalism. Christine stepped into this role unexpectedly, and has done an exemplary job. To lose her experience would be a tragedy of the highest order. I look forward to working with Christine for many years to come.