Magisterial district seat draws officer, journalist
The only judicial race that doesn't feature attorneys still boasts a great deal of related experience between its candidates.
The magisterial district judge seat for District 50-3-6 is open for election. Current District Judge Wayne Seibel is not seeking reelection.
Joe McCombs, of Evans City, and Amy Marcinkiewicz, of Jackson Township, are cross-filed leading into the May 18 primary, which means they will appear on both ballots.If one candidate wins both the Republican and Democratic primaries, they run unopposed in the general election. If split, then one would be the Republican nominee and the other the Democratic nominee.While neither candidate has a law degree, both candidates have spent many hours in the courtroom.In February, Marcinkiewicz announced her retirement from WPXI news, for which she covered all things Butler County, including crime and the courts.She said she has covered stories on an array of subjects at the district level, including landlord-tenant, civil and criminal cases.“The thing about journalists is you get the story one day, and you have to become an expert,” Marcinkiewicz said. “You can't make mistakes with people's lives.”McCombs, the police chief for the Evans City-Seven Fields Regional Police Department, has been even closer to the action in the courts.
Investigating officers often are called to testify in preliminary hearings, which take place before district judges. McCombs said outside the court, he also has had to be a peacekeeper for civil issues that never make it to court.“I've had a wealth of experience in all those areas,” McCombs said. “We see those cases constantly, and we deal with them from start to finish. That's all I've done pretty much my entire career.”Both candidates shared goals of wanting to approach the position with fairness and balance, and both expressed interest in continuing youth outreach programs that teach children about the court system and the protections it offers.Marcinkiewicz said she has logged more than 750,000 steps going door to door to describe what makes her the ideal candidate. She said she hopes people saw her passion and dedication during those visits as she tried to stress the connection between her 26 years as a journalist, crafting unbiased and thoughtful news stories, with what it takes to be a judge.“I think I'm a great candidate for the job because I know this community inside and out,” Marcinkiewicz said. “I tell them to vote with their heart.”McCombs said he always has looked for ways to lend a hand to his community, whether it be helping a neighbor, coaching youth football or his more than 25 years as an active member of the fire department.McCombs said the best thing for the community is seamless transition, and the relationships he has made over the years with the staff, attorneys and police can help do that.“I think I bring the most true experience to the job because of my exposure as a veteran of law enforcement of 31 years,” McCombs said. “I think it'd be a fluid transition for me to be able to go in there Day One with little hesitation.”
