Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Two vying for district judge
DOWNINGTOWN >> Two people are vying for magisterial district judge in the May 18 primary, incumbent Judge Jeffrey Valocchi against newcomer Ann Feldman, who is a borough bouncilwoman in Downingtown.
Both candidates cross-filed, and their names will appear on both the Republican and Democrat ballots Tuesday.
Valocchi, who grew up in Down
ingtown, has been the magisterial district judge in District Court 15-4-02 for the last 12 years. He was first sworn-in to the role back in October 2009.
The district covers the townships of East Caln and East Brandywine as well as Downingtown Borough.
He said the average lower court in the Tri-State region sees on average 5,800 filings per year.
“In 2019, our filings were close to 9,000,” Valocchi said. “We’re an extremely busy court.”
One milestone during his tenure he said was the pandemic, noting that the court system never stopped working during the shutdown last year.
Another success during the last 12 years, he said he is working with landlords and tenets, saying there has been an 85 percent success rate in landlords being paid and tenets staying in their homes.
“I’m the better qualified candidate from an educational, experiential background,” Valocchi said when asked why locals should vote for him to continue serving as judge in the community.
He’s practiced law in Pennsylvania for 35 years, he said. Valocchi studied law at St. Louis University School of Law and the University of Pennsylvania School of Law in the late 1970s.
He passed the Pennsylvania Bar Examination in 1978 and has been practicing law ever since.
Valocchi said lawyers love to talk, and as a judge, he’s learned to listen.
“That took some discipline,” he said, adding he learned to do so during his first year as judge when hearing neighborhood cases.
“When you get a number of people in the court, everyone has constitutional rights, and a lot of times they conflict,” Valocchi said on Wednesday. “You always get more with honey.”
He said, “I never put people in jail if they can’t pay collateral,” regarding summary traffic offenses. “I have payment hearings. I’ll give people as much room as possible to get it resolved.”
Valocchi added, “It doesn’t make me happy to put anybody in prison.”
He said his greatest lesson of 2020 was “to be more patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Getting through this whole corona (crisis), just be more patient.”
As for politics, Valocchi said the courtroom is his sanctuary away from politics.
“There are no politics in my court,” he said. “You can walk in with a Biden hat on, you can walk in with a MAGA hat on; there are no hats allowed on in the courtroom.”
Raised in an ItalianAmerican family, Valocchi said the most inspirational force in his life has been his parents, Ben and Amini, who are both deceased. They were born in Downingtown.
He lives in Downingtown with his wife, Beth, and the pair have two grown daughters, Alexandra and Anastasia, who are twins.
Running against Valocchi in the primary races for magisterial district judge of Downingtown, East Caln and East Brandywine is Feldman.
Feldman joined the Downingtown Borough Council in 2009.
“I have had the privilege and honor of being elected to Downingtown Borough Council for three consecutive terms in which I serve in both a quasi-judicial and legislative capacity,” Feldman said on Wednesday. “I have gained a solid knowledge and understanding of municipal law, local ordinances, the Pennsylvania Borough Code, the Sunshine Law, the Pa. Constitution, and other relevant statutes.”
She said, “During my 12 years on Downingtown Borough Council, I have consistently been a vocal advocate for citizens and their rights, as well as promoting lawfulness and transparency of the administration and council.”
Feldman said she completed the required education and exam and has been certified by the commonwealth of Pennsylvania to perform the duties of a magisterial district judge.
“I cultivated a passion for the law during my successful nine-year lawsuit to prevent the illegal sale of Kardon Park to developers during which time I provided extensive legal research and analysis and completed my paralegal certification,” Feldman said.
She said, “The case culminated in a landmark 2017 Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision establishing stronger protections for public parks and public spaces (including museums) throughout the state.”
Feldman said the most influential person in her life has been her mom.
“A child of the Great Depression, she became a nurse, nursing educator, and then instructor of nursing educators,” Feldman said. “She spent years in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan developing and implementing programs for nursing educators. She influenced many lives by providing the same outstanding level of nursing care to every patient regardless of the patient’s position in society. As a nurse she was unyielding when it came to her patients complying with prescribed therapies, yet she simultaneously showed kindness, compassion, and encouragement to help the patient improve. She perfectly balanced compassion for the person without compromising the integrity of the process. I would strive as a magisterial district judge to emulate her life by upholding the integrity of the law while also making a positive difference in the lives of individuals who come before me.”
Feldman said, “The local court is unique in that it provides an opportunity to influence the trajectory of a person’s life before that person has become caught in a downward spiral. As a magisterial district judge, I will apply the law with impartiality and without bias while ensuring fairness, compassion, and appropriate support for the individual, such as when there are underlying mental health, behavioral, or substance abuse issues.”
She added, “Appropriate steps at this early stage can make a positive difference in a person’s future choices, which then benefits society as a whole.”
Feldman said, “I look forward to serving the community as a magisterial district judge bringing integrity, fairness, and compassion to the local judicial process.”
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.