Sobeck, Leonard face off for district judge
District Judge Robert Sobeck, who was elected to represent Montgomery County’s District Court 38-1-21 in 2011, is facing a challenger in next Tuesday’s primary.
Suzan Leonard, an attorney from Upper Gwynedd and current North Penn school board member, is facing off against Sobeck for a six-year term as district judge. Sobeck has cross-filed and will appear on both Republican and Democratic primary ballots; Leonard will only appear on the Democratic ballot.
Both were asked the same questions, and below are their answers:
Robert Sobeck Describe your personal background and biography
District Judge Robert M. Sobeck served in the U. S. Army before becoming a police officer in Norristown. He retired in 2011 to become our current District Judge. Throughout his 24 years of police service, he held several positions in the de-
partment. Starting off as a patrol officer, then as a K-9 patrol officer, Detectives for four years until he was promoted to sergeant. He obtained a degree in Criminal Justice, going to college at night, while in the detective division. He spent many hours in both District and Common Pleas Courts, gaining experience. Several district judges that Robert had cases in front of suggested that he run for the position of District Judge. He ran for office and was elected in 2011. On January 1, 2012, Robert M. Sobeck took office as our district judge.
Robert met his wife Erica in 2000 and they live in Upper Gwynedd with their children and their two dogs. Robert volunteers with the Upper Gwynedd Fire Company, is a member of Masonic Lodge #190 and is a member of the American Legion post #769 in Whitpain Township. He was recognized as the Legionnaire of 2016 by his peers. Robert’s most rewarding time is spent as a taxi service for his middle school age children and spending time with his family.
Your professional and political background
My professional background is all about public service. With my service in the military and as a police officer and now as our district judge, I have been protecting our community all my adult life. To me it’s not a job, it’s who I am, it’s what I do. With regards to my political background, I have never run for office until I sought my current position. I was encouraged to pursue this position by other district judges who know what it takes to be a good, fair judge. I love this job and have no aspirations to do anything else political, but to work as our district judge. I am a full-time judge that does not work as an attorney on the side. I am accessible to the public 24 hours a day. I have met with the local officers at 4 a.m. when they needed warrants or protection from abuse orders to continue an investigation. I have met with the officers while I have been out at a restaurant with my family and at the ball field while watching my children play baseball. Political background shouldn’t play any role in being a district judge. There is no place for politics in the courtroom. When you enter our court, you are judged fairly on the merits of the case, not whether you are a Democrat or Republican.
Why are you running for (another term as) district judge?
I am seeking another term as our district judge so that I can continue to do my part to keep this community safe and one of the most desired locations to live in. Over the past five years as our judge, I have had an opportunity to work in the community and educate our neighbors about what our court does on a day to day basis. I set up informational booths at most spring and fall township functions and personally speak and meet with anyone that has questions. I teach “Choices, Consequences and the Law” to our 11th graders, who are at the point of becoming adults and may not know the laws and how they could affect their futures. I have used community service a great deal as a diversionary option for our young people in order to try to help them not create a record. Otherwise, if found guilty they may have to report this incident on a college application or job application and even may have their driver’s license suspended for an extended period. I want to continue to mentor the many interns during the summer months, keep the local colleges sitting in on court cases and holding mock trials and continue to be a field trip location for our local boy scout troops.
What have you changed from your predecessor?
We have made many changes since I have taken office on January 1, 2012. The first thing we did was refurbish the entire court. Prisoners used to be brought in for hearings and they had to be walked through the waiting room, in front of witnesses and victims. For obvious safety reasons we made immediate changes to that. I then met with several police officials and we spoke about issuing citations to our young people. I wanted to use community service as a diversionary sentence; instead of paying a fine, the young person spends their time helping out at a nonprofit location here in our community.
We are also working on going green. We are now scanning the initial files into our computer system so that instead of printing out dozens of pages and putting them into a file, we now scan the forms into the computer system. We also have started to go paperless with citations. The officers will type into their patrol car computer all the information on the citations and then transmit that information to our court. We no longer have to take five to seven minutes to enter a citation into our system. With an average of 4,000 to 5,000 citations a year, this will save a lot of time.
Susan Leonard Describe your personal background and biography
I have lived in Upper Gwynedd for the past 30 years where I raised my three sons. I am expecting my first grandchild on or around June 4. I have been a community activist serving on the North Wales Area Library Board, the American Association of University Woman and a member of the North Wales Business Alliance; always striving to make our community a little bit better.
Your professional and political background
I am a practicing attorney having graduated Quinnipiac University School of Law, in Hamden, CT. I am a member of the Montgomery Bar Association and the Family Law Section of the Bar. I have been appointed by the Courts to be a Child Advocate, representing children who are victims of abuse, truancy, or juvenile delinquency. I am a registered Democrat and prior to running for this position was a Democratic committee woman for Upper Gwynedd. I have been elected to the North Penn School Board both in 2011 and 2015. I am currently serving my second term. I have been endorsed by the Democratic party for magisterial Judge. I currently serve on the North Montco Technical Career Center Board, where teaching skills necessary to be successful in future job markets is a priority.
Why are you running for district judge?
Six years ago I was presented with the opportunity to run for this office. I choose to run for school board with a full slate of candidates because public education is one of my many passions. This time, I was once again presented with an opportunity to represent my party on the ballot for a position I know I am qualified and suited for, and I did not want to let this opportunity pass me by. I specialize in family law, where listening, understanding and resolution are an everyday occurrence. Having those skill sets already prepares me for the job. I have a great respect for rules, laws, statutes and the constitution. I am a lawyer. I have great deference to anyone who wears the robe and know that I would treat everyone with respect. I have the integrity, character and temperament to do the job well.
What would you change or do differently from the current judge?
That is a harder question to answer in that I have not been in the position. I know that in all of my past endeavors, I have made improvements, whether to the library where we moved from a one room school house to a beautiful community library, or as a child advocate where I can mentor and influence troubled youths. I would like to expand the hours to evenings and maybe some Saturdays to be more accommodating to the community I would serve.