May 17, 2015 2 min read

Until the recent appointment of Senior Judge Hiram Carpenter to handle some of the caseload, Greene County has had only one judge on its Court of Common Pleas bench following the retirement last year of William Nalitz after he reached 70, the mandatory age when judges must step down in Pennsylvania. The court needs and deserves a full-time jurist who can handle the county’s busy caseload, from Marcellus Shale-related issues to criminal cases.

There are three candidates vying for a seat on the court, all of whom cross-filed on the Democratic and Republican ballots for Tuesday’s primary election. We cannot vouch for David Russo, a Waynesburg attorney, because he did not respond to requests from the Observer-Reporter for an editorial board interview. We were, however, able to talk with the two other candidates, Jeffrey Grimes and Lou Dayich, and found them both impressive. If Greene voters picked either of these candidates, they would be well served.

However, we would give Dayich a slight edge. He has been a district judge since 1999, and has also served as a trial attorney and chief public defender. Having adjudicated many cases as a district judge, we believe he would more readily be able to wield the judge’s gavel.

Grimes, a Waynesburg attorney and the son of now-retired Greene County Judge H. Terry Grimes, has a background in matters related to the oil and gas industry, as well as real estate issues, family law and criminal law. This grounding will serve Grimes well if he becomes a judge, either soon or at some point in the future.