Incumbent judge in Tredyffrin faces challenge

TREDYFFRIN >> Two women attorneys who profess a sense of community spirit are vying for the position of Magisterial District Court judge, one centered in Tredyffrin, in Tuesday’s primary election.

Analisa Sondergaard, the judge who currently presides over District Court 15-4-01, is seeking re-election to her second term on the minor judiciary bench. Listed as a candidate on both the Democratic and Republican ballots, Sondergaard is being challenged on the Republican ticket by former Tredyffrin-Easttown School Board member Elizabeth “Liz” Mercogliano.

“I love this job,” said Sondergaard in a recent interview about her approach towards the position of magisterial judge. “This s the best job I’ve ever had. I have the opportunity to put into practice all the things I’ve learned as an attorney but I also get to be involved in the community. I am dedicated to the law, but I am also dedicated to the community.”

Mercogliano said she had decided to run for the position after finding herself the victim of a crime — her car was stolen — last year. “I decided I was being called to be a (magisterial judge) so I could have an impact towards a safer community,” she said. I knew I could make a difference. As a judge you can educate the community.”

District Court 15-4-01 covers the northern half of Tredyffrin and the eastern half of East Whiteland. Because it includes the hightraffic areas of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Routes 202 and 30, its docket is heavy on traffic and vehicle offenses. But it also contains Conestoga High School, and thus handles truancy and summary offenses for high schoolers.

In Pennsylvania, magisterial district judges handle small claims, landlord tenant cases, traffic and nontraffic citations, and rule on preliminary hearings for those charged with felonies and misdemeanors. Terms are six-years, and the position has a salary of $89,438.

Sondergaard, 47, of Tredyffrin is a graduate of Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tenn., and the Temple University School of Law. Before being elected district judge in 2011 she worked at the law firm of McDonnell & Associates in King of Prussia.

In the interview, she said that she frequently finds that the public at large has little understanding of what the position of MDJ entails, and more that the job is not something one would find on television.

“It’s not Judge Judy,” she said. “It really is just sitting down and hearing people tell you about their case. They are usually surprised that things are so calm. It’s a non-partisan position, so everybody gets treated fairly. I am not going to treat people differently because they have a connection to some political party. There are no ‘hot button’ issues here. We deal with what affects average people in the community.”

Sondergaard pointed to her work outside the courtroom as crucial in understand the part of her work that deals with how people view the courts. “With me, people don’t see just the judge in the court; they see me out in the community. I like to set an example.”

Her approach, she said, is to give each person in the courtroom a chance to be heard.

“If you come into my court, I am going to treat you fairly and with respect,” she said. I am also going to use common sense, and follow the law. A lot of times people just want to be heard, and we have to let them talk.” Although in

in all court case there is a winning side and a losing side, she says she wants to give participants a sense that they are part of the process. “If they say, “I got to say my peace, then they can accept it. And I take everything very seriously, from the small cases to he very serious cases.”

Mercogliano, 59, also of Tredyffrin holds degrees from Lasalle University,

Eastern College, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Widener School of Law. She has worked as a nurse and attorney.

“I am very comfortable helping people who have (drug and alcohol) problems,” she said in a telephone interview. “I get it. The minor courts are where you see those issues firsthand.”

She said she hoped to focus her attention on helping people with substance of mental health issues find paths to recovery when they come to court, not just ruling on their cases and setting fines. “I would bring a very open, transparent and compassionate advocacy for those in the courtroom, because believe it affects what goes on outside the courtroom,” she said.

“We can look at things a bit differently, and create procedures where people don’t just get rulings on cases but get treatment options as they do in Common

Pleas Court.”

Mercogliano said she looked forward to the challenges that she might face if elected in November. “I have had a lifelong history of working within the community, and the challenge of learning a new job as a judge coming on board” is one she welcomes. “I see it as an opportunity.”

When she meets voters in the community, she says she tells them, “I am going to enforce the law as it is written on the books, but I want everyone in the courtroom to be an advocate for a positive outcome. It should be a place for people to be comfortable. It’s not just a fair, but a just process.

“I am not a politician,” she said. “I don’t want to work on the Supreme Court. I want to work in my back yard ad help people reduce crime.”

Liz Mercogliano