Republican Primaries Today For Town Judge

Today four contenders will vie for the line on the November Ballot as the Republican nominee for Town Judge, with the Republican Primary now underway. Polls opened at 12 pm and close at 9 pm.

Those running are Tracy Hanchett, Cherie Indelicato, Paul Mieras and Bill Tribou.

The four way race is split between two practicing attorneys: Indelicato and Tribou, and two candidates without formal legal training:  Hanchett and Mieras.

No matter what today’s outcome, there will be three names on the ballot for Town Judge, come November. How so? Here are several scenarios which make politics, well politics.

As some background, before the Primary, Tribou and Hanchett filed Independent Nominating Petitions to get a line on the November Ballot.  In November Hanchett is running as an Independent for the Justice Party. Tribou will run as an Independent candidate for the Honesty Party.

So what does this all mean for today’s Republican Primary? If Indelicato wins the Primary today, she gets the Republican line facing Hanchett (Justice Party) and Tribou (Honesty Party) as Independents in November.

If Tribou wins today, he will not only be on the Republican Party line come November, but also as an Independent for the Honesty Party. He will face off against Hanchett as an Independent as the Justice Party candidate.

If Hanchett wins today, she will not only be on the Republican Party line, but also as an Independent for the Justice Party. She will face off against Tribou as the Honesty Party Candidate.

If Mieras wins today, he faces off against Tribou (Honesty Party) and Hanchett (Justice Party) in November. Keep in mind that write-in candidates will be allowed in November.

Wanna know more about village courts and local justices?

These are 1,250 New York town and village courts with local justices – like those in Schroon and North Hudson – and the Big Apple state is one of about 30 states that don’t require these kinds of local judges to have formal legal training – a throwback to colonial days, when lawyers were scarce.

We learned more from the New York Justice website:

There are close to 1300 Town and Village Courts (collectively known as the Justice Courts) located in most of New York State’s town and villages (none are located in New York City). The nearly 2,200 Town and Village judges handle close to 2 million cases a year. The hours and frequency of operation of the individual Justice Courts varies, depending on the size of the locality and the size of the court’s caseload.

What are the functions of the Town and Village Courts?

The Town and Village Courts play a vital role in the New York State Unified Court System. These courts have broad jurisdiction and they hear both civil and criminal matters.

On the civil side, the Town and Village Courts hear actions seeking monetary awards up to $3,000 and small claims proceedings for awards up to $3,000. These courts also handle landlord/tenant matters that may result in an eviction as well as a money judgment for back rent that is due.

Town and Village Courts are best known for their small claims parts. Small claims proceedings are intended to provide a low-cost, simplified and informal procedure for individuals to resolve disputes involving limited monetary claims. Often individual litigants do not use an attorney in these matters and are not required to do so.

On the criminal side, these courts are authorized to handle matters involving the prosecution of misdemeanors and violations that are committed within the town's or village's geographic boundaries.

The Town and Village Courts also conduct arraignments and preliminary hearings in felony matters. In addition, these courts hear Vehicle and Traffic Law misdemeanors and traffic infractions.

Town and Village Justices are required to be on-call 24 hours a day and are often called upon to arraign misdemeanor and felony charges as well as to act as Family Court judges when Family Court is not in session. In cases involving domestic violence, the judges are also authorized to issue orders of protection.