Finally I've been able to find information on the individuals running for the Magisterial District Judge race on the Northside (Wards 21-25).
Why do I care? Well, I gained some interest after I realized how many of my neighbors were supporting the candidate they know without any real sense of his qualifications beyond the fact that he's an attorney. I can see why people use this criteria as we all want to support our friends and, frankly, finding information is a struggle. Candidates at this level don't have fancy websites, twitter or so forth.
I had something stuffed in my door today from a Republican running for the office. His name is Dan Styche who is a State Deputy Constable. I'm not clear on what that means, but apparently is makes him a lawman and able to claim 12 years experience working in the Magistrate's Offices.
That led me to the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania site which has FIVE candidates listed.
So what does a district magistrate do? I'm not sure. I know they take care of the first steps in a criminal process. They hear tax cases. I can't find a really good description of what they do.
Our of the five people running in my area, Derwin Rushing is an attorney. Karen McLellan is a police officer. We already mentioned the constable. I think Dean Birdy is also an attorney. I can't find anything about Jackie Lynn Hoffman.
I did discover that Dean Birdy and Dan Styche are listed as committeefolks for the Allegheny County Democrat committee. That's odd that Styche is running as a Republican then. His literature says Democat.
So I frankly have no good information in this race. I have some info that makes me disinclined to vote for one candidate, but without more details it is hard to know who my best alternative is. It is hard to know who is qualified when you aren't sure what they do. Clearly, the two lawyers and the police officer have a leg up when it comes to actually knowing the law.
Frustrating. I'll keep digging.
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Hi, my name is Jackie Hoffman and I have just stumbled across this site. Since you don't seem to have any information on me, I wanted to tell you about the Magistrates job and why I am the best candidate for the job.
Magistrates handle non-traffic, traffic, civil, landlord/tenant cases and cases at the Pittsburgh Municipal Court. Non-traffic cases include harassment, fish and boat citations, building code inspection citations, and underage drinking citations. Traffic cases are citations from state and county police. Civil cases are cases that originated in our district or cases when the defendant lives in our district. Landlord/tenant cases are cases when the property is located in our district. At the Pittsburgh Municipal Court, Magistrates hold criminal court, housing court, family court, and domestic violence court rotating 2 times a week.
Personally, I have worked at the District Court for 6 years. This has taught me, first-hand, the procedures and the law. I also have my Masters degree in Criminal Justice from California University of Pennsylvania. I was born and raised on the North Side. I reside in Spring Hill and am currently the President of the Spring Hill Civic League. I have volunteered in the North Side for over 20 years.
As a homeowner and community leader, I am committed to making our community safer and more livable. As a Judge, I will strictly enforce the laws. I am a leader and a hard-worker, committed to public service. I will be a full time Judge, providing accessibility to residents in order to meet
and serve your needs. For more information, please contact me at 412 605 9362 or visit my website: http://www.Jackie4Judge.com
Just so that you know, the smartvoter website has an error. Dan Styche is a Democrat, and that's also his ballot designation.
But it is impossible to find this information. I don't understand why the county can't let you view your sample ballot online.