To the Editor:

On Tuesday, November 3rd, Westchester voters will elect four judges to the New York State Supreme Court and one judge to the Westchester County Court.

The State Supreme Court is a five county district that includes Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Orange, and Rockland. Judges are elected to fourteen-year terms. It is the trial level court for all non-criminal matters, the court with the broadest jurisdiction, and has the power to adjudicate controversies involving the rights of individuals, businesses, and define the proper boundaries of the executive and legislative branches of government. The County Court deals with serious criminal matters and civil matters upon special assignment. The issues are myriad, and it is imperative that the individuals we entrust to preside over these diverse matters do so with clarity of reasoning, sensitivity to the rights of all litigants, willingness to listen, and without personal bias.

This year the Democratic ticket for Supreme Court will be graced by four exceptional judges who have proven that they meet and surpass these criteria: Jeffrey Cohen, Francesca Connolly, James Hubert and David Steinberg. The Democratic candidate for County Court, Judge John Colangelo, likewise has demonstrated that he is well qualified, highly respected, and possesses a diverse wealth of judicial experience. All five have also been endorsed by the Working Families Party.

The judges we elect are key to the fairness, effectiveness and integrity of our judicial system. For these reasons, I urge voters to elect Judges Jeffrey Cohen, Francesca Connolly, James Hubert, David Steinberg and John Colangelo. Please vote Row A on Election Day.

Paula Etzel
(Chair, Irvington Democratic Committee)

Irvington, NY