Carmody wins Dem nod, Dennis-Bovani takes GOP spot in Magisterial District 11-2-01

Yahoo

21-05-2025

May 21—WILKES-BARRE — Three candidates cross-filed in Magisterial District Judge 11-2-01 and two of them will advance to the Nov. 4 General Election.
According to unofficial results, Matthew J. Carmody won the Democratic nomination and Laura Dennis-Bovani captured the Republican nod. The other candidate, former Wyoming Borough Mayor Robert J. Boyer, finished a distant third on both sides of the ballot.
The unofficial vote totals are:
Democrat
—Carmody, 1,019
—Dennis-Bovani, 841
—Boyer, 166
Republican
—Dennis-Bovani, 849
—Carmody, 762
—Boyer, 174
The Magisterial District 11-2-01 covers the municipalities of Exeter Borough, Exeter Township, West Pittston, West Wyoming Borough and Wyoming Borough. It just about covers the entire Wyoming Area School District with the exception of Harding and Falls.
"I'm grateful and humbled for the support we received and to the voters who came out and voted for me," Carmody said. "I'm looking forward to the November election and we will continue to work hard until Nov. 4."
"I am honored to have a nomination and I am extremely thankful for the support I've received," Dennis-Bovani said. "I am looking forward to reaching out to every voter in the district and I also look forward to the November General Election."
Carmody is seeking to assume the seat his father, Attorney Joe Carmody, has held over the last 22 years.
Carmody, 43, is a graduate of Wyoming Area (2000), University of Pittsburgh (2004), Roger Williams University School of Law (2007) and was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 2007.
He spent his early days in law as a law clerk in Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas before returning to Wyoming Valley.
After working for a Wilkes-Barre law firm for several years, he and two colleagues went out on their own creating the law firm of Joyce, Carmody & Moran, P.C. in 2015. In addition, Carmody is the solicitor for the Pittston Township Sewer Authority and the Assistant Solicitor to the Luzerne Co. Transportation Authority.
"I am running because I love this community, and I want to continue to keep it safe for my family and all families who live here," Carmody said when he announced his candidacy. "After graduating from law school, I returned home where I met my wife, Amanda, and we decided there is nowhere else we would want to raise our family. I am proud to say that my kids — seven-year-old daughter Caroline and our eight-year-old son Joseph — are the fourth generation of Carmodys to call the Wyoming Area home."
Carmody believes he would make a fair and impartial judge while treating everyone that comes through his courtroom with dignity and respect.
Carmody said, "I've done a great deal of civil rights defense for municipalities over the years, including 14 years serving as a court appointed criminal defense attorney in Federal Court and that allowed me to work with the U.S. Attorney's office, the FBI, DEA and various Federal agencies, including the IRS. I've also been specializing in Labor Laws over the last 10 years."
Dennis-Bovani, 51, a lifelong resident of the district, is a 1991 Wyoming Area graduate, she has been practicing privately for more than 25-years and has represented clients in criminal and civil litigation, wills and estates, believing her experience covers the legal issues a District Judge handles on a daily basis.
She is an Assistant Solicitor in the Luzerne County Office of Law, the Solicitor for Wyoming Borough, and a volunteer solicitor for the Wyoming Free Library and the Wyoming Area Foundation Board.
Dennis-Bovani serves on the Luzerne County Arbitration Board, the Executive Board of the Wilkes-Barre Law and Library Association and previously served as a divorce mediator.
Dennis-Bovani said she is running for magistrate to bring her years of courtroom experience to the bench, where she says she will be a fair and impartial judge. She pledges to work to ensure that "in each case everyone can be heard, treated fairly and with respect."
"I feel like it's a way for me to bring my legal experience to the bench to be involved and invested in the community as a judge," Dennis-Bovani said. "It's a way to bring all my experience as a lawyer to be able to have the people of our community to have a place where they know they are going to in front of a judge that is knowledgeable in the law and that prides herself in giving everyone a fair opportunity in the courtroom."
Once elected, Dennis-Bovani said she would vacate her positions with Luzerne County, the Solicitor with Wyoming Borough as well as all criminal cases.
Dennis-Bovani is married to Dante J. Bovani, a third-generation owner of his family's towing and service business, located on Exeter Avenue in West Pittston. The Dennis-Bovani's are the parents of Dante and Mia Bovani.
Other Magisterial Judge races
District 11-1-05 (4-year term)
Democrat
—Joshua Moses, 841
—Write-in votes, 348
Republican
—Joshua Moses 625
—Write-in votes, 236
In Magisterial District 11-1-04, Alexandra Kokura-Kravitz was unopposed on both sides of the ballot, as was Michael G. Dotzel in Magisterial District 11-3-07.
Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.