Rush, Monella in race to replace retiring magisterial district judge in Erie's 1st Ward
Two Erie residents with extensive backgrounds in helping people are seeking to become the next magisterial district judge representing residents in a portion of the city's east side.
Christine Rush, 59, and Paul "P.J." Monella, 32, are running to fill a position currently held by Sue Mack, who has served as 1st Ward district judge since first appointed in 2001 and who is retiring at the end of the year after completing her fourth term. Monella has cross-filed and is seeking the Democratic and Republican nominations in the May 20 municipal primary, while Rush is seeking the Democratic nomination.
District judges serve six-year terms. The annual salary of a magisterial district judge in Pennsylvania was set at $113,713 effective Jan. 1.
Rush, married and the mother of four children and eight grandchildren, is a graduate of East High School and the former Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, now part of PennWest. She is the longtime district director for State Rep. Patrick Harkins, D-1st Dist., overseeing the first legislative district office, and is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Inc. sorority (Mu Nu Omega chapter).
Rush said she has dedicated her life to community service and public advocacy. She has served as chair of Erie's Fifth Ward Juvenile Diversion Program, chair of the Pittsburgh-based Project Impact juvenile diversion program, past assistant cheer coach and parent representative for the R. Benjamin Wiley Community Charter School and a frequent celebrity guest reader in schools and mentor to young women across the state.
Rush said she has utilized her role as past chair of the Greater Erie Community Action Committee to improve the board's planning and operations and aided in maintaining the agency's overall integrity and vital service delivery during the pandemic. As vice-chair of the Erie County Land Bank, Rush said she assisted in brokering a partnership with Habitat for Humanity to rebuild underserved communities.
Those experiences, Rush said, make her uniquely situated for the position of district judge, as it takes a community member and leader who has a relationship with the community to address its needs.
If elected, Rush said she will work with community partners to address truancy and support a juvenile diversion program for first-time juvenile offenders of nonviolent crimes. She said she believes and has experienced first-hand that addressing the challenges youth experience earlier in their lives supports their mental health and general well-being, which in turn helps guide youth through their life on a supported path.
Rush said she has received the endorsement of community organizations including the General Teamsters Local 397, Women The Future PAC and Erie County United.
Monella, who is married and has two stepchildren, is a graduate of Penn State University and George Washington University. He has served as regional government affairs director for the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors and chief executive officer for the Greater Erie Board of Realtors and is presently chief of staff for State Rep. Ryan Bizzarro, D-3rd Dist.
Monella said he is running for district judge because he wants to help people, as he does every day in his current role as Bizzarro's chief of staff. He said he is a problem-solver, leading the busiest legislative office in Pennsylvania by cutting red tape for people throughout the state, and his aim is to offer the same kind of attitude and work ethic while sitting on the bench. He said he will offer solutions to solve problems, reduce recidivism and apply common sense.
Monella said the most important quality in a judge is being able to determine the difference between a bad person and a person having a bad day. He said he possesses the necessary skills to effectively listen and communicate with individuals, the professional temperament and demeanor required by judges to be successful, and the necessary critical thinking and analytical skills required to sit on the bench.
Monella additionally points to his management experience that will help in managing court staff and working with court administration, noting that he now manages a staff of five and previously managed a budget of over $750,000.
If elected, Monella said he would like to work with the Erie County Court of Common Pleas to create a Teen Court where a judge sits on the bench but young people serve as prosecutors and defense attorneys for low-level juvenile offenders, with their peers ultimately deciding their consequence. Once the consequence is completed, the offense would be removed from the person's record, he said.
Monella said he would also like to establish an Erie City Housing Court with the city to specifically address landlord-tenant issues, with a few judges trained to specialize in that area. He said this would provide consistency in landlord-tenant matters and alleviate the workload of other judges, saving time and taxpayer money.
Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNhahn.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: District judge race in Erie's 1st Ward: Rush, Monella seek election
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