May 15, 2015 4 min read

A North Franklin Township constable is challenging the incumbent district judge in Washington in his bid for another six-year term in the office.

Anthony Gennaccaro said that as a constable, he has issues with the way the district judge’s office is being run, going so far as to call it “dysfunctional.”

But Robert Redlinger, a retired Washington police officer and East Washington chief, said that during his first term his office has had no issues raised by the state or the Washington County president judge.

“People who know me know I am fair and will continue to be fair,” Redlinger said. “I am just running on what my office has done. We have been the busiest (office) and are still the busiest.”

Both men have cross-filed on the Democratic and Republican ballots.

Gennacarro, a constable for more than five years and a small business owner, said that if elected he would institute evening hours for hearings so that defendants don’t have to miss work to attend. He also would keep the office open from noon to 1 p.m. so that they could make payments on their lunch breaks.

“It shouldn’t be for his convienience or his staff’s convenience,” he said. “It should be for the convenience of the people.”

However, Redlinger explained that he schedules hearings during the day because that is when police officers are available to attend without the state or municipality having to pay overtime. He said that because his office employees have specialized duties, it is not feasible for them to fill in for each other during lunch breaks, and it would also be a union contract issue.

Gennaccaro also pointed to a drop in fines and costs being collected from defendants, which he claims is due to those on payment plans not being forced to pay up.

Fines and costs collected from traffic and nontraffic citations are distributed to the state and the municipality whose police department issued the citation. Gennaccaro said records he reviewed showed a 40 percent drop in revenue collected for the city from traffic citations between 2010 and 2014.

Figures provided by the Washington County controller’s office showed that revenue collected for the city from all citations fell by about 25 percent during those years, but the number of citations filed by police in those years fell by about 40 percent. The reduction also is partly due to magisterial redistricting, which took East Washington out of that jurisdiction.

Gennaccaro said he would bring in defendants who are delinquent in their payments for a hearing and “give them an ultimatum: Pay the fine in full or go to jail,” instead of accepting a partial payment.

Redlinger said he tries to have defendants complete their payments in six months, and that warrants are issued for those who fail to pay. Some defendants change addresses, however, and they can’t be located.

Trying to get full payment from defendants who don’t have the money “is always a problem,” he said. In addition, the number of citations written by police fluctuates yearly, which can contribute to a decline in fines collected.

“What are you going to do, keep throwing everybody in jail?” he said. “We try to work with people.”

Gennacaro said that one of his goals is to see drugs and drug dealers off the streets. “I will set the highest bail allowed for drug dealers,” he said. “I want to make sure they appear for their hearing.”

Redlinger said his office will continue to take advantage of county programs that address mental health and drug issues, and offer alternatives such as community service and anger management classes. “We are working more toward helping people rather than incarcerating them,” he said.