Obituary: Barbara Thornton (1949 – 2025)

By DIANE VALDEN

HUDSON—It was a ceremony befitting a man who has spent the past four decades serving the people of Columbia County.

Former public defender, former county judge and current District Attorney Paul Czajka will retire at the end of the year and 200 or more people crammed into the second floor ceremonial courtroom at the Columbia County Courthouse December 8 to thank him for his service and bid him farewell.

It was standing room only in the domed-ceiling room with people filling every seat, crowding two and three people deep around the edges and along the back wall shoulder to shoulder. The overflow of well-wishers from every phase of Mr. Czajka’s life—from grade school to the Peace Corps, to his many years in office—spilled out into the hallways, down the main entry staircase and poured into the lobby.

A procession of speakers, including judges, police officers, lawyers, county officials and old friends stepped up to the microphone to pay tribute to their longtime colleague and bestow upon him praise, proclamations, plaques and even a sword.

Columbia County Judge Richard Koweek told the crowd he initially crossed paths with Mr. Czajka when they played soccer at Germantown Central School (GCS). “We were so good at soccer, we became lawyers.” He said the DA served with passion, integrity, loyalty and scholarliness and was always well-prepared to do the task in front of him.

Former Hudson Police Chief and State Police Sergeant L. Edward Moore said he has known the DA his whole life and they both came from humble beginnings. He said as a child he was a guest at the Czajka dinner table many times and when there was no food, Paul Czajka’s mother would read everyone recipes. He said jokingly that “Paul’s younger sister was hard of hearing and almost starved to death.” Mr. Moore said perhaps it was the hard work on the farm and the lack of physical wealth that made Mr. Czajka a champion for the victim. He quoted from Department of Criminal Justice statistics which said over the past 12 years major crime in the county is down by 40%, which coincides with Mr. Czajka’s term in office. He said the many present in the room “truly understand the exceptional duty you have performed. On behalf of the law enforcement community that respects you, classmates from GCS that have been steadfast friends all these years, on behalf of my brother and on behalf of my family…, congratulations and thank you for everything you have given. It will be good to see you back on the farm.”

Attorney Carl “Giff” Whitbeck, who has worked with Mr. Czajka as an assistant district attorney (ADA) for the past 12 years, and known him for many more years, said, “I doubt that there will soon be a public servant who will have as much of an impact in protecting the interests of the people of Columbia County as Paul Czajka has had. So, thank you Paul.”

Lifelong friend, attorney, former assemblyman and former Congressman John Faso quoted from “the late, great Robert Jackson,” a Nuremberg judge, of whom Mr. Czajka is a fan. Mr. Faso said that as DA, judge and prosecutor, Mr. Czajka kept Judge Jackson’s admonitions in mind. Despite having to make tough decisions that weren’t always popular, he always “strove to do what was right,” to uphold the Constitution and the Rule of Law and “that is something we all can be grateful for.”

State Police Troop K Major Kathryne Rohde came to the microphone with an entourage of State Police members. She said the relationship between the DA and law enforcement is critical. “It’s critical to the pursuit of justice, but mostly it’s critical to insuring the safety of the citizens of the county…”

She said DA Czajka “held us to the highest standards. He insured our cases were always thorough and that allowed him to prosecute our cases and keep the streets here in Columbia County safer. He fulfilled his oath above and beyond.”

She spoke to the DA saying the past few years working with him have been “an absolute pleasure. We’ve all learned a lot from you. Thank you for holding us to those standards.”

Former Hudson Police Officers Gary Wallace, John Thomas and William Osuch spoke about a period in the history of the Hudson Police Department marked by corruption, which the DA took on with their help. Mr. Wallace read from a plaque to be presented to the DA, which said in part, “With our deepest gratitude for your outstanding dedication to justice and public service. Your unwavering commitment and integrity has made our city a better place to live… You left an indelible mark on our community. Wishing you a retirement filled with joy, relaxation and the knowledge that your legacy of justice will live on.”

Mr. Thomas said, “I was lucky to have Paul… I was in the trenches in the City of Hudson when everything was going downhill.” He said, “We went to see Paul and he was our guiding light.” He presented the DA with a U.S. Cavalry sword given to those who lead the charge into harm’s way saying, “that’s what he did for us.” Mr. Osuch told the DA, “You were the right man at the right time.”

Other speakers included, ADA Kyle Patzwahl, Judge Chris Hummel, Attorney Ann Weaver on behalf of Judge Catherine Leahy-Scott, Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt Murell, Hudson Police Chief Mishanda Franklin and former Kinderhook Supervisor/ Board of Supervisor’s Chair/ Czajka Law Clerk Patrick Grattan.

Mr. Grattan recounted a time nearly 40 years ago when he met “a guy from the southern part of the county, who had been in the Peace Corps and loved to talk about politics, farming and scrounging around in Gold’s junkyard for parts to repair farm equipment.”

At the time, Mr. Czajka was a public defender and Mr. Grattan was a newly-elected Town of Kinderhook councilman.

Mr. Grattan said he has learned over the years that Mr. Czajka is a devoted father to his three sons; that he is intolerant of ill-prepared attorneys; that he is patient with law interns and kind to court staff; and that he is not pretentious.

He recalled that Taghkanic Supervisor Betty Young used to address Mr. Czajka as “Farmer Czajka” and that he accepted that greeting as readily as “Your Honor.”

Also among his observations over the years were that “nobody should ever try to schmooze, bamboozle or finesse him.”

In conclusion, he spoke about the new portrait of Mr. Czajka set up on an easel nearby. He said that soon the portrait would be hung in the courtroom. “To some it will be the portrait of a judge or a district attorney or a district attorney who became a judge. To me it is a portrait of a man who served the people of Columbia County ably and well; who I will always respect for his candor, for speaking his mind.”

“I thank you Farmer Czajka, Judge Czajka, Justice Czajka. You took the time to serve us all.”

The ceremony ended with a thundering standing ovation for Mr. Czajka, who rose from his seat and said, “I’m Paul Czajka and I’m your DA.”

There will never be another like him.

To contact Diane Valden email dvalden@columbiapaper.com