EDITORIAL: Cascino’s mess is no fairytale

ELECTION 2023

By DEBORAH E. LANS

GHENT – With the retirements of Judges Richard Koweek and Jonathan Nichols at the end of 2023, the two judgeships on the Columbia County Court are on the ballot in November. Four candidates are running for the two open positions.

A Columbia County Judge hears a broad array of cases, consisting mainly of Family Court matters (about 60% of the docket), including neglect, delinquency, child custody, child support, paternity and divorce; felony criminal cases (about 35%), from murder to domestic violence, child abuse and financial crimes like burglary; and Surrogate’s proceedings, such as the probate of wills and will contests.

The term of a County Court Judge is ten years. The official qualifications for the position are simply that the candidate must be an attorney in good standing in the state and have been admitted to practice for at least five years – qualifications held by all the candidates.

Of the other qualifications, Socrates put it well: “Four things belong to a judge: to listen courteously, to answer wisely, to consider soberly and to decide impartially.”

The latter qualification notwithstanding, in New York judicial candidates are nominated by political parties and run on party lines.

The Columbia Paper interviewed the four candidates, and those interviews are reported in alphabetical order below.

Joyce Crawford

Ms. Crawford, 36, of Germantown, is currently an Assistant District Attorney in Columbia County, a position she has held since October 2016. Previously she worked for Polaris Management Partners (2014-2016), consulting to pharmacy and medical device manufacturers on legal compliance matters.

She and her husband (a Germantown native) have four children, two boys and two girls, ranging in age from one to eight. Perhaps that explains why she cites as one of her qualifications the ability “to multi-task to the nth degree.”

Ms. Crawford says she combines the technical skills, knowledge of the law, and willingness to study new issues, needed for the job, with energy, patience and compassion.

At the DA’s office, Ms. Crawford has specialized in child and sex abuse cases, for which she has sought out substantial specialized training, and holds the position of Chief Assistant District Attorney for Sex and Violent Crimes prosecutions. Since 2018 she has also served as the DA office’s liaison to the County and Hudson Treatment Courts, which seek to divert people with drug or alcohol dependencies from the criminal system into treatment and rehabilitative programs.

Ms. Crawford says she has personally tried more jury cases in County Court since significant changes in the law were made in 2020 than any other candidate, spends 70% of her time in County Court, and has personally handled more than 4300 cases.

If elected, she would be the first woman to serve on the County Court bench. Ms. Crawford feels that her experiences, including as a mother, have taught her that humans are complex and “you cannot write them off.” The use of treatment programs is accordingly very important to her, although she is confident she can also make the hard decisions that the role requires.

Ms. Crawford graduated from Northeastern University magna cum laude, and Seton Hall University School of Law cum laude.

Ms. Crawford has been endorsed by the Republican and Conservative parties.

Her website is crawfordforjudge.org.

Robert Gibson

Robert “Bob” Gibson, 56, of Kinderhook is currently the commissioner of Social Services for Columbia County, a position he has held since June 14, 2017. He served as counsel to the Commissioner from 2014 to 2017, an Assistant District Attorney in the county from 2012-2014, a Congressional Campaign Aide (2010-2012) and a private lawyer (2000-2009).

Mr. Gibson knows the county “through and through,” having grown up here.

He is not married and does not have children.

Mr. Gibson has been in public service most of his career. He has a long list of civic activities. He serves on the Boards of the Columbia-Greene Humane Society, the Salvation Army-Hudson, the Columbia-Greene Healthcare Consortium, the Columbia County Community Services Society, Columbia County Early Intervention and EverHome. He also serves on the county’s Housing Task Force.

Mr. Gibson says that during his career he has worked in all the areas of law over which a County Court judge presides: an array of family matters, criminal cases and estate issues, and because of the variety in his career path he has seen most issues from many sides, as a prosecutor, defender and service provider, representing adults, children, the county and the state.

During his tenure at the DSS Mr. Gibson has maintained his legal knowledge through continuing legal education course work and “a steady diet” of independent reading of case law.

Unlike other candidates, Mr. Gibson would bring administrative skills to the task, having overseen a large staff and $38 million budget as commissioner of DSS.

Mr. Gibson says the job of a judge is “not noisy” but the judiciary has a crucial role in seeing that every party receives the relief he/she deserves. Mr. Gibson pledges that, if elected, he will be fair and even-handed in performing his role, giving each case the full attention it deserves.

Mr. Gibson is a graduate of the University at Albany and Albany Law School.

Mr. Gibson has been endorsed by the Republican and Conservative parties.

His website is GibsonforJudge.com.

Brian Herman

Brian Herman, 65, of Copake, is currently in the private practice of law in Hudson. He began that practice in 2000 and maintained it while also serving as Hudson City Court Judge (2016-2022) and Copake Town Justice (2006-2013). From 1984-2000 he practiced law in Queens. Mr. Herman also works as a real estate broker (Hudson Town & Country Realty, 2001-present), and owned Park Falafel & Pizza in Hudson (2010-2017), among other business ventures.

He and his wife have one grown daughter, and moved to Columbia County in 2000 when she was young for the community lifestyle and collegial professional relationships it affords.

Mr. Herman says that he has tried every type of case that will come before him as a County Court judge through his private practice and his service as Town Justice and City Court Judge. The Hudson City Court Judge has a docket similar to that of a Town Justice, hearing cases ranging from traffic offenses to criminal matters, orders of protection to landlord-tenant disputes.

Mr. Herman notes that with both judgeships on the County Court and the District Attorney’s position changing hands in this election, there will be an opportunity to innovate and modernize the court. His ideas include offering more alternatives to incarceration through the use of ankle bracelets (if authorized by the county), expanded use of the existing treatment courts where appropriate, the creation of a mental health court and a focus on restorative justice which allows victims’ voices to be heard.

Mr. Herman emphasizes that he has no “debts” to anyone, owes no “political payback,” and will have no agenda other than to be fair and impartial, create a level playing field, and treat every individual before him with patience and dignity. He wants to change the “ethos of the courthouse” so it is regarded as a county resource and its personnel are approachable and welcoming.

Mr. Herman is a member of the New York State Association of City Court Judges, a member, and past president of the Columbia County Magistrate’s Association, and provides pro bono (free of charge) legal services to AnimalKind, the Recovery Kitchen, Copake Grange and Hudson Interfaith Council. He has served a board member of Congregation Anshe Emeth and the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York.

Mr. Herman graduated from Queens College and Brooklyn Law School.

Mr. Herman has been endorsed by the Democratic party, Capital Women and Upper Hudson Labor Council.

His website is hermanforjudge.com.

Michael Howard

Michael Howard, 57, of Claverack, has served as First Assistant Public Defender in the county since 2013, and served as a Public Defender for most of the period since 1993. During the times when that job was not full time, he also maintained a private practice of law. From 1992-2003 Mr. Howard was the attorney for the Columbia County Office for the Aging.

He and his wife have three children, all boys, aged 19, 21 and 24.

In his work as Public Defender (assigned counsel for parties who cannot afford their own attorney) and his private practice Mr. Howard has handled cases in all areas of the law that a County Court judge will hear, through the trial stage. It is his life experience and values that he believes distinguish his candidacy: “the ability to care, the courage to seek justice, a concern for the human condition, a passion for justice and simple uncompromising honesty.”

Mr. Howard received the New York State Defenders Association O’Connor Award in 2012 for his “client-centered sense of justice, persistence and compassion.” He serves on numerous bar associations and is a former board member of (among others) the United Way, Hudson Area Library Association, Salvation Army (for which he used to cook weekly) and Hudson Boys and Girls Club.

Mr. Howard says he will bring new energy to the court and wants to expand the use of the substance abuse treatment court and to work to create mental health, veterans and youth courts that can address the particular needs of each group. He pledges not to make judgments based on socio-economic status or similar factors, citing his “past performance” as proof of his values, and to be patient, extend the “olive branch” to parties multiple times when warranted, and to be fair in all cases. He quotes Frederick Douglass, “It is easier to build strong children than fix broken men.”

Mr. Howard graduated from Davidson College and Brooklyn Law School, where he served on the Brooklyn Journal of International Law.

He has been endorsed by the Democratic and Working Family parties and the Hudson Valley Labor Federation.

His website is electmichaelhoward.com.