Ear to the Ground
Hudson City Court has two judges. One is elected; one is appointed by the mayor of Hudson. Both serve six-year terms. Jack Connor, who was city attorney during Rick Scalera's many terms as mayor, has held the elected position since 2012. The other position is held by Brian Herman, who was appointed in 2016 by Mayor Tiffany Martin. Herman's term ends later this month, and Gossips has learned that he will not be reappointed. The word is that Mayor Kamal Johnson intends to appoint Cheryl Roberts, current city attorney, to the position of city judge. Roberts is the executive director of the Greenburger Center for Social and Criminal Justice and is the facilitator of the Joint City/County Task Force "to close gaps in mental health and substance use disorder services."
What a tiresome, thankless job that judgeship seems to be, especially here in Hudson.
ReplyDeleteThe question is: why get rid of Herman? I've seen both judges in action several times and he seems fine.
For an attorney, being appointed to a bench is significant achievement. Having worked for many years with Cheryl, often at loggerheads, I can attest that she is a careful, talented and learned lawyer. I know some will object to her elevation on the basis that they disagree with her advice as the City attorney and otherwise. That's fine: disagreements about the law are what being a lawyer is all about. Cheryl's analysis in my experience starts with the facts and ends with the law, precisely as it should. I believe the City court is in good hands with her joining that bench.
ReplyDeleteSignificant achievement, perhaps. And a lifetime of handing out fines for speeding, failure to stop, driving under the influence, driving without a license, harassment cases out the wazoo, and a host of other mostly petty nonsense. She will probably get the sense pretty quickly that Hudson is a scary place in many respects, which it is.
Delete"How do you plead to parking on the sidewalk?" Cheryl, as the two current judges likely do, will be saying that in her sleep. What a thrill!
I imagine it seems petty to the average person raised on a diet of sensational crime and mass shootings, political malfeasance and attempted insurrections. But the type of justice handed out daily in local courts is where most Americans experience the justice and legal systems. I suppose it's mostly small potatoes but that's most of the potatoes life provides. And, if you're the one fighting an eviction or a landlord being taken advantage of by a recalcitrant tenant, the potatoes likely seem rather large and important.
DeleteWas Herman not doing a good enough job handing out justice for Kamal? Or is our Mayor just trying to show us how woke he is by appointing a woman to the court? Were there any complaints or problems with Herman, or was he ready to leave anyway?
ReplyDelete