Archive: Opinions

Editor, The Lansing Star:

In our local campaign for Town Justice much has been made of the notion that one candidate is preferable to the other(s) because he is a long-time resident of Lansing with'deep ties' to the community. In truth, every candidate has strong ties to Lansing through work, family, the schools, or simple longevity. However, some would draw the conclusion that because of these 'long ties', a particular candidate would be a better choice for Town Justice. Somehow, length of time in Lansing is supposed to cancel out the benefit to Lansing residents of having a Justice who is professionally qualified and experienced as opposed to one who has lived here longer.

A look at the history of New York's State's practice of allowing minimally trained citizens to fill the role of Town Justice indicates that in town and village courts, according to a New York Times report from 9/25/2006, "overwhelming evidence that decade after decade … people have often been denied fundamental legal rights. Defendants have been jailed illegally. … People have been denied the right to a trial, an impartial judge and the presumption of innocence."

Although a part of the state court system and paid for by towns and villages, the Times report further indicates that "justice courts are essentially unsupervised by either". A follow-up report in the 9/26/2006 New York Times concluded that, "An unfamiliarity with basic legal principles is remarkably common in …justice courts…"

Why, then, does New York State continue to allow such minimal qualifications for Town Justice? Although it is difficult to state with certainty, it appears that a very simple historic reason, a reason that likely still exists today, is that many towns and villages do not have a qualified, trained, experienced attorney who is willing to take on the job. Few attorneys who can typically earn much more money for their time in a legal practice are willing to take on what can only be described as 'public service' for those who are willing to serve their community as a Justice. Those who are willing to do so, like Maura Kennedy-Smith, should be commended for their choice to serve their community in this manner. We are fortunate to have a candidate with her dedication to her community and professional expertise.

I urge you to vote for the only candidate for Lansing Town Justice who has both strong community ties and the professional background to assure our residents of a high quality local justice system; Maura Kennedy-Smith.

Pat Pryor
Lansing, NY
v14i40