Each day they decide who goes to jail and who walks free. They see to it that tenants are not unjustly evicted from their homes. They can start and end marriages. And they tell you whether or not you’ll pay that traffic ticket.
They are your elected city court judges.
“They are crucial for a healthy society and a functioning democracy,” says Grant Reeher, a political scientist and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute at Syracuse University, on his blog Reeher Window.
Two city court judgeships are up for election on Nov. 8. Three candidates are seeking the jobs. They are incumbent Judge Karen Uplinger, a Democrat, who is finishing her first term; incumbent Judge Rory McMahon, who was appointed by Mayor Stephanie Miner in February; and Republican newcomer Romana Lavalas, a prosecutor in the county District Attorney’s office.
In an election oddity, McMahon is on the ballot lines for both the Republican and Democratic parties.
Syracuse city court judges are elected for ten-year terms. The judges are paid an annual salary of $113, 900.
Here’s a closer look at the candidates:
Karen Uplinger (incumbent, Democrat)
Judge Karen Uplinger, 63, was elected to her first term in 2001. Before that, she was a lawyer for 25 years.
Becoming a judge was an opportunity to do something different, she said. “I just wanted to be in a situation where I could really look at the law and make decisions based on the law, and really be able to bring a fairness to the court that I thought I could,” said Uplinger.
Uplinger started her career at the Hiscock Legal Aid Society doing criminal defense work. She then went into private practice where she handled civil cases, including real estate transactions and marital disputes.
These experiences helped her adjust to her role as a judge, she said. “For city court judge, it’s good to have experiences not just in criminal, not just in civil, but in both so you know what’s expected of you,” said Uplinger. “It’s easier to handle the things then because you’ve done them for a long time.”
From 1989 to 1990, Uplinger also worked for the State Assembly as executive counsel to the speaker. From 1992 to 1999, she was the Syracuse Common Councilor from District 5 representing the East Side.
Uplinger is a Syracuse native and has lived on Westmoreland Avenue for 32 years. “I do think having roots in the community and knowing a lot about the community does help in making your judicial decisions,” she said. “You certainly know where things are happening and what’s going on in different areas in the city.”
Uplinger is also a member of the New York State chapter of the National Women’s Judges Association and the Association of City Court Judges.
Rory McMahon (incumbent, Democrat)
Judge Rory McMahon, 42, has an unusual candidacy. He is a registered Democrat and both the Democratic and Republican parties have endorsed him. So his name will appear on the ballot under both parties.
McMahon described the Republican Party’s endorsement as something he had to accept to avoid an appearance of improper partisanship. “That was one of the things we looked at,” he said. “Can I even turn this down? The standard is to be fair and impartial, to be neutral.”
Instead of party labels, he said, he is running on his credibility and past experiences. “As a former prosecutor and former defense attorney, I see both sides of the argument,” said McMahon. “That’s something I bring to the table and also my experience being here for nine months.”
In February, McMahon was appointed by the mayor to succeed retiring judge Langston McKinney. Before that, McMahon served as the commissioner of aviation at the Hancock International Airport for one year.
In 1996, McMahon graduated from the Syracuse University School of Law. From 1996 to 2000, he was an assistant district attorney. From 2000 to 2006, he was a defense attorney. From 2002 to 2004, McMahon also served as Common Councilor for District 3, which includes the South Side and parts of the West Side neighborhood In 2006, he became the city’s chief lawyer.
Romana Lavalas (Republican)
Romana Lavalas, 38, is a political newcomer. This is her first run for public office. But she emphasizes her experience in the District Attorney’s office.
“My experience gives me insight into the judicial process and I think that I could lend a lot to it as judge,” Lavalas said.
For the past 11 years, Lavalas has worked for the District Attorney’s office. For the last seven years, she’s prosecuted cases for the DWI Bureau, which oversees prosecutions for driving while intoxicated.
“I was determined to become a lawyer first and then a judge. I didn’t know when I would become a judge, I just knew it was an ultimate goal. And that’s a desire I’ve had since I was a small child,” Lavalas said.
Judges have the opportunity to talk to the defendant after a plea deal is made. That is something prosecutors are unable to do, she said. One of the reasons she hopes to become a judge is so she can tell defendants that when they are given a plea deal, they are also given a second chance and not to mess it up, she said. “A judge can say to the defendant, you’ve done a great job I’m proud of you, now I hope to never see you again except in social circles,” Lavalas said.
Lavalas is a black, Hispanic female. For her to become a Syracuse city judge, she said, would send a positive message to minorities in the city.
“Many of the people who come through Syracuse city court are people who are minorities,” said Lavalas. “I’m hoping being someone in a position that a judge would be in, I would be able to inspire people and help people realize ‘If I make better choices, I can be where she is someday.’”
Lavalas was born in Brooklyn. Her parents were immigrants Panama. She attended the New York State University at Albany, majoring in English literature and minoring in Spanish. In 1999, she graduated from the Syracuse University College of Law.
She wants, she said, “to protect the integrity of the justice system, to protect the process, to make sure both parties are playing by the same rules, that everyone is adhering to the law, that everyone is being respectful to each other and themselves.”
(Callan Gray is a junior majoring in broadcast and digital journalism.)
-30-
