Tired of ads? Subscribers enjoy a distraction-free reading experience.
Click here to subscribe today or Login.

KINGSTON — Among Republican county notables such as District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis, state Rep. Aaron Kaufer and Forty Fort Mayor Andy Tuzinski, Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney Mary “Mamie” Phillips officially announced her candidacy Thursday for judge in Magisterial District 11-1-05.

Phillips, 37, wants to succeed Paul J. Roberts in the district, which encompasses Kingston and Edwardsville boroughs. The vacated seat is one of 10 six-year terms up for grabs in the May 16 primary.

She took to a microphone in front of several dozen supporters at 7 p.m. in the hall of VFW Post 283 on Wyoming Avenue in Kingston to stress she was “not a politician,” but instead, “I am a prosecutor.”

During her speech, Phillips drew on her time in Monroe County as well as her record as a prosecutor for the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office.

Noting she was part of the team that convicted both Hugo Selinski and James Roche, Phillips said she is proud of the record she established.

“The then-DA Jackie Musto Carroll took a chance on a girl who was (applying) for a job there (Luzerne County),” Phillips recalled. Her first county-based assignment, given by Musto Carroll, was in juvenile court, where she and others were tasked with implementing changes in the system. “We had the biggest reforms in the state.”

Victoria Strunk, Phillips’ friend and former Monroe County colleague, said that even back in Phillips’ Monroe County days, Luzerne County, and more specifically Kingston, was where Phillips “was invested.”

Phillips, who commuted from Luzerne County to Monroe County, notes that she grew up in Kingston, graduated from Wyoming Valley West and recently bought her first home — in Kingston.

Strunk said she “vividly remembers the day we first met.”

“She was confident, discerning and intimidating,” Strunk said, noting that Phillips knew everything about county courts from the names of the judges down to the tip staff. “I wasn’t sure I’d be making friends with her anytime soon.”

But for Strunk and Phillips, it didn’t take long for the two to strike up a friendship – Phillips was moved into Strunk’s office and they had to work together.

“She’s a hard worker,” Strunk said.

William Finnegan, a colleague of Phillips at the district attorneys office, said losing Phillips, should she win, would be a “huge void” for the county. He said Phillips being elected to the position would be a “double-edged sword” for the office because though it’s a “natural step” in Phillips’ career, “she’s an excellent attorney.”

District judges, the first level of the state’s judiciary, arraign criminal defendants, set bail and conduct preliminary hearings to determine whether the charges should be bound to county court. They also handle traffic citations, school truancy petitions and civil cases for amounts less than $12,000.

Mamie Phillips, right, is congratulated by her mother, Mollie Phillips.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_mamiephillips02-1.jpg.optimal.jpg Mamie Phillips, right, is congratulated by her mother, Mollie Phillips. Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader

Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney Mary ‘Mamie’ Phillips announces that she is running for district judge during Thursday’s announcement at VFW Post 283 in Kingston. Phillips is currently running unopposed.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_mamiephillips01-1.jpg.optimal.jpgLuzerne County Assistant District Attorney Mary ‘Mamie’ Phillips announces that she is running for district judge during Thursday’s announcement at VFW Post 283 in Kingston. Phillips is currently running unopposed. Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader
ADA says she’s ‘not a politician’

By Melanie Mizenko

[email protected]

Reach Melanie Mizenko at 570-991-6116 or on Twitter @TL_MMizenko