Independents could decide next judge
WAYNESBURG – The race for Greene County judge likely will come down to the wire if the razor-close results from the May primary are any indication.
Just 138 total votes separated Democratic nominee Louis Dayich and Republican candidate Jeffry Grimes in the primary, prompting both candidates to reach out to independent voters who could swing the race for the 10-year county judge’s seat.
Both Grimes, 42, an attorney in general practice, and Dayich, 53, a district magistrate for nearly 15 years, said they’re turning their attention to those unaffiliated voters for a position that they agree should be nonpartisan. The position is open after former President Judge William Nalitz retired in December.
“I would hope the independents, like anyone else, consider the person for the job, and that when the election closes and that person takes the bench, that it’s not a matter of ideology,” Dayich said. “I think my appeal is based on competence, experience and qualifications.”
“That has been a focus of ours, reaching out to independents,” Grimes said. “We’ve been emphasizing to people that this is not a political position and the reasons why it shouldn’t be political.”
The two men have vastly different backgrounds.
Dayich worked as a public defender for four years following law school, and then spent the next decade as a private attorney before being elected magistrate in 2000. Grimes has worked on family law, criminal and real estate cases after clerking for three judges in the Greene County Courthouse and passing the state bar exam in 2009.
Dayich pointed to the brief time that Grimes clerked for current President Judge Farley Toothman. Dayich said his own work as district judge would make him an independent voice in the courthouse.
“We in Greene County need someone with judicial experience, good communication skills, somebody who has never practiced in front of Judge Toothman and who could be a sounding board to bounce some ideas around,” Dayich said. “I think I’m a better fit.”
Grimes thinks his time clerking for judges, including Toothman, and now practicing law in the courtroom gives him an advantage knowing the nuances of the courthouse. He added he has a “breadth of experience” in a variety of cases.
“We had a good working relationship and that transitioned to a judge-attorney relationship, and I wouldn’t anticipate any problems with the transition if I were to be his colleague,” Grimes said of his history with Toothman. “Each judge goes about his business in his courtroom in his own way and how he sees fit.”
Both have similar views on the heroin addiction epidemic that has enveloped the region, and they agree that there are only so many things a judge can do to help an addict.
Dayich said by the time a person reaches a judge, they’ve already gone through most of the justice system, meaning incarceration likely will be needed. But he added there can be other steps for some people, including rehabilitation, education and addiction counseling, to help people turn their lives around.
“Through those various combinations, and holding their feet to the fire, we making them do things they wouldn’t otherwise,” Dayich said. “We can deal with them in traditional ways, but also have an obligation to the person and society.”
Grimes noted that judges do not make policy, but said the position can be the last line of defense to keep the community safe. He said that should be the first priority as a judge.
“Is this person a good candidate for other options?” Grimes said. “Even while looking at all of that, we need to do what we need to do to keep the community safe, and to what extent you can help folks after that?”
The general election is Nov. 3.