Three running for vacant Cecil district judge seat
The election of former District Judge Valarie Costanzo to Washington County Court opened the door for three candidates running for the vacant magisterial seat encompassing Cecil, Mt. Pleasant and Robinson townships and McDonald Borough.
All three candidates, Traci McDonald-Kemp, Mike Philips and Jesse White, cross-filed on both the Democratic and Republican ballots for Tuesday’s primary.
For 14 years, McDonald-Kemp, 44, of McDonald, was an assistant district attorney in Washington County.
McDonald-Kemp, now the deputy district attorney in charge of the special victims unit, said she will bring a unique perspective to the office with her experience in dealing with legal cases from beginning to end.
“This is what I do on a daily basis, look at the facts and apply the law and make unbiased opinions based on law,” she said. “Not only do I understand the law, I’m able to manage the day-to-day operations of running an office.”
She said she wants voters to vote for her based on her background, qualifications and knowledge.
“I’ve always tried to be fair and work hard,” McDonald-Kemp said.
Philips, 51, of Lawrence, began his career in law enforcement in 1988. He worked for about 19 years for the Cecil police department, including two years as a detective. He also trained police officers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He said he wants to bring a “common-sense approach” to the office.
“Judges are no better than anyone else. We all make mistakes,” Philips said. “There is a respect thing.”
Philips said he has an edge over his competition because he has taken the certification course that teaches exactly what district judges need to know. Non-attorneys must take the class to hold the office. He said he will make the position a full-time job with evening hours.
“I feel that with all of my life experience and dealing with all sorts of people, I’m very well-rounded,” Philips said.
Jesse White, 36, of Cecil Township, is an attorney and former state representative who was defeated by Republican Jason Ortitay in the 2014 general election.
White, who drew criticism for allegedly posting negative comments online against his detractors using fictional names and who is critical of the natural gas industry, said he was “sometimes maybe a little too aggressive” as a state legislator. He said he understands a judicial role requires a different approach.
White said his eight years on the House Judiciary Committee gave him insight into how the court system is supposed to work and what the intent of the law should be. He said he would provide evening and weekend hours, general legal information to the public and crack down on the area’s heroin epidemic.
“I would challenge anybody to put up with some of the stuff I’ve put up with over the past two years personally and over the past eight years as a rep. I don’t blow my stack. I don’t lose my cool,” White said. “I’ve dealt with some tough circumstances. I think I’ve dealt with them professionally.
“For eight years I sat in an office and everybody paid my paycheck, and everybody could come in and tell me exactly what they thought of me or they could go on the Internet or they could call, they could do whatever. And, you know, I’ve been called every name in the book. And through it all I’ve learned, I think maybe because of it, to keep a much cooler head, and, I think most importantly … it’s taught me there are definitely two sides to every story and you can’t just believe the first thing you hear. I think that gives me a better temperament.”