For Julie Cecile, her own childhood growing up with 20 foster siblings helped prepare her to be a Family Court judge.
“I really have a wealth of knowledge about the resources in this community and how the system should work,” Cecile said.
Cecile is the Democratic candidate for Onondaga County Family Court Judge. It is her first run for elected office. Her opponent is Patrick Kilmartin, R-Syracuse, the legislator for Onondaga County Legislature District 11. The election is Nov. 6.
The Family Court has four judges — all Republicans — and one open seat. The seat is open because Judge Bryan Hedges resigned in April, after being confronted with allegations of sexual abuse. Family Court judges serve for 10-year terms. They preside over cases involving matters like abused or neglected children, custody issues, adoption, and foster care review.
In her campaign for the judge’s office, Cecile stresses her experience as executive director of the McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center. Others who know her well also cite her background as an assistant welfare attorney and longtime child advocate, as well as her leadership abilities.
As she campaigns, Cecile describes the Family Court opening as a lifelong ambition. Since she was 13 and growing up with foster siblings, Cecile recalled, “I wanted to work with kids and in the Family Court system.”
Cecile has lived in Syracuse since she was four years old. She spent her childhood in the Syracuse neighborhood of Strathmore, with her parents, three siblings, and the changing circle of foster children and, sometimes, exchange students from other countries.
“It was like the United Nations growing up,” Cecile said.
Community service was a family tradition. Her father, for example, volunteered at the Brady Faith Center, the Franciscan Northside Ministries, and the Make-A-Wish foundation.
Cecile has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Siena College in Upstate New York and a law degree from Syracuse University. Her husband, Jim Cecile, is a Syracuse city court judge and comes from a prominent political family. Jim’s father, the late Bob Cecile, was a member of the Syracuse Common Council. At Meacham Park in downtown Syracuse, the Cecile Community Center was named in honor of Bob Cecile.
Julie and Jim Cecile have three children: Hannah, 14; Bobby, 10; and Emma, 7. They are important to her ambitions to be a judge, she said. “My kids are very much excited about it. They like the idea of me becoming a judge. The bulk of their years they have seen me work in this field, so my kids are so attuned to what both my husband and I do,” Cecile said.
As a lawyer, Cecile has worked as a court-appointed attorney, as an attorney for the city of Syracuse and volunteered with the Onondaga County Bar Association’s Pro Bono Divorce Clinic. In 1999, she became an assistant welfare attorney for the Onondaga County Department of Social Services.
Her work as an assistant welfare attorney wins her praise from friend and former co-worker, Christine Larkin. “Julie knew all of the other child welfare stuff. She knew all of that information. She never turned me away, always did the research,” Larkin said.
Cecile is also a strong leader, said Larkin. “She can get everybody around the table and get people talking and negotiating with one another,” she said. “And that, to me, is the biggest asset in Family Court.”
Longtime friend Stephanie Salanger, the regional communications manager at Time Warner, agreed. “She’s a quiet leader. But she is all about taking the high road and doing for others first. That’s always her first reaction,” said Salanger.
Cecile expresses a sense of accomplishment with her work at the McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center. In her role as executive director, she works with children and families who have been through abuse or hardship. The Center brings together police, medical professionals and social services to work with families on getting back to living life and making sure the child and the families are okay.
Since she took office in January 2008, she said, the center has gained financial security, expanded from a 3,000-square-foot building to a 30,000-square-foot building and met the state’s requirements for funding of child advocacy centers.
“We do amazing things,” said Cecile.
At the Family Court, she said, she wants to do much the same. “It’s not about politics. It’s really about the families that will be coming through family court,” Cecile said. “I really believe that I can take that and really make a difference in how we treat the people that come before us.”
(Macy Jenkins is a graduate student in broadcast journalism.)
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