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KINGSTON — James Haggerty announced Tuesday he will run for the district judge’s seat that oversees cases from Edwardsville and the borough where he has served as mayor since 1998.

The Kingston native, who has been elected to five consecutive terms as mayor, said he will not seek re-election and will instead campaign for the post left vacant earlier this year by longtime District Judge Paul Roberts, who retired after nearly three decades. It is one of 10 district judge spots up for grabs in the 2017 municipal primary, according to the county Elections Bureau.

In a campaign announcement Tuesday, Haggerty, 51, touted Kingston’s financial status and strides in community development during his tenure, including the reconstruction of the Hoyt Library, design and construction of the borough’s fire station on Wyoming Avenue, and a $1.5 million upgrade to the Kingston Pool.

Haggerty’s mayoral term ends this year. He decided to run for district judge rather than seeking a sixth term as mayor because he believes he can have a greater impact from the bench. The borough will be in good hands, he said, citing “top-notch” department heads, administrators and staff.

“I think the breadth of my experience in government, the law, in the armed forces, and the community is probably unmatched,” he said in a telephone interview. “If voters compare qualifications and experience, I think I’m going be looked upon very favorably by voters.”

Haggerty, no stranger to campaigning, acknowledged he has strong name recognition. But he knows a judicial office requires different skills, so his campaign will adjust accordingly. Voters, he said, don’t want to hear how how he’ll do the job as mayor, “they want to hear about how I’m going to run the courtroom.”

The longtime attorney will not be permitted to continue practicing criminal law if elected, but said he will take on civil cases and continue to represent those he’s aided in the past. His line of work, he noted, has given him valuable experience and taught him that those who go before a judge “deserve the utmost respect and courtesy.”

“To them, their case is the most important case ever, it’s not just another case on the docket,” he said. “I always hoped as a lawyer I would be treated professionally and respectfully by judges, and pledge I will treat everybody that appears in front of me that way.”

Haggerty is a 1983 graduate of Wyoming Valley West and a 1987 graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received a bachelor’s degree in management science. He was awarded his law degree in 1990 from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Haggerty also served as a lieutenant and tank platoon leader in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.

“My military experience taught me the importance of preparation, determination, and teamwork,” he said in his announcement. “And after getting pushed out of a moving airplane five times by a Green Beret jumpmaster, I am definitely prepared for any challenge.”

Haggerty
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_jim250.jpg.optimal.jpgHaggerty Submitted photo

By Joe Dolinsky

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Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL