Sullivan justice nominated for court

SULLIVAN, N.Y. >> The Madison County Republican Executive Committee has tapped Sullivan town justice and prominent local attorney Michael St. Leger to serve as the party’s candidate for Madison County Court Judge in this fall’s election.

The judgeship will be on the ballot in November due to the retirement of Judge Dennis McDermott.

“Judge St. Leger has a long track record of professional accomplishment and community service to the people of Madison County,” said Republican Chairman Todd Rouse at an Aug. 7 meeting. “Tonight our Republican Executive Committee unanimously and enthusiastically nominated him to serve as our next county court judge, and we will work tirelessly from now through November to ensure he is successfully elected.”

“It’s an honor to have such strong support from so many friends on the Republican Committee and from all backgrounds in Madison County,” said St. Leger. “I am running

for county court judge to bring my decades of experience as a town justice, attorney and community volunteer to serve the people of Madison County.”

“Judge McDermott has served with dignity and it would be an honor to succeed him. He will leave big shoes to fill, and I amready to step up to the challenge,” he added.

St. Leger, 58, has served as justice in the town of Sullivan since 2013. As town justice, he presides over criminal and civil trials, misdemeanors, violations and traffic infractions, and arraignments. He also has preliminary jurisdiction over felonies and concurrent jurisdiction over certain Family Court matters, and much more.

In addition to serving as a local judge, St. Leger is a practicing attorney with the firm Dunn, Bruno & St. Leger in Hamilton and Oneida. Earlier in his career, he served in the Madison County Public Defender’s Office and worked in private practice in Syracuse and throughout the region. Admitted to the New York State Bar in 1989, he has been a practicing attorney for 30 years.

St. Leger has served or currently serves on: the NYS Committee on Professional Standards, the SurrogateDecisionMaking Panel, theOneidaHousing Authority, theMadison County Bail Fund Board, the Madison County Legal Defense Bureau, and as a Syracuse City Court Volunteer Arbitrator, among other roles and organizations.

St. Leger has also been a dedicated community volunteer for several years, serving as a board member for Madison County Cooperative Extension, Bear Country Little League, Sullivan Area Recreation and Development Association (SARDA), and the Town of Sullivan Development Corporation. He is a member of the Madison County Bar Association, NewYork State Bar Association, Hamilton Business Alliance, National Rifle Association, St. Patrick’s Church, FarmBureau, Oneida Elks Lodge, Chittenango Polar Bears Snowmobile Club, Snow Valley Riders, Ducks Unlimited, and Ruffed Grouse Society.

Prior to his election as a local judge, St. Leger served as chairman of the Madison County Republican Committee from 1999 to 2009, as a New York State Supreme Court Sixth Judicial District Delegate from1996 to 2012, as well as a host of other political and community roles.

St. Leger, a lifelong Republican, lives in the town of Sullivan with his wife, Trish. They have three grown children, Brigid, Clare and Seamus.

Michael St. Leger