Fifteen candidates running for five Common Pleas judge nominations
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A wide and deep pool of 15 candidates -- including a state representative, two district judges, a sitting judge and the sister of the District Attorney -- are vying for five open spots for judge on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas.
In the May 19 primary, Democratic and Republican voters will select five judicial candidates -- though the majority of the candidates will appear on both parties' ballots.
The Allegheny County Bar Association had what judicial committee Chairwoman Nancy Heilman called one of her busiest seasons ever due to the number of candidates who sought ratings from the association.
The bar association, which bases its ratings on temperament, legal knowledge and experience, gave a "highly recommended" rating to four candidates and a "recommended" rating to five others. Two candidates did not seek a rating from the association. The others were rated "not recommended."
Allegheny County Democratic Party chairman Jim Burn, whose organization picked five candidates to endorse last month, said the process was especially difficult considering that "you have so much talent vying for five seats."
Here are the candidates, in alphabetical order:
• District Judge Carolyn Saldari Bengel, 42, of Harrison, is cross-filed as a Democrat and Republican. A former public defender, Ms. Bengel has been a district judge for Harrison, Tarentum, Fawn and Brackenridge since her election to the post in 1993. The bar association rated Judge Bengel as "not recommended."
• Alex Bicket, 52, of Mt. Lebanon, will appear on Democratic and Republican ballots. Mr. Bicket, a native of Cape Town, South Africa, practices civil litigation, primarily in insurance cases. He was rated "highly recommended" by the bar association.
• Jeffrey K. Eisenberg, 48, of Point Breeze, is registered on the Democratic ballot. For the past five years, Mr. Eisenberg has worked for the Juvenile Court Project, a program funded by the county bar association which gives free legal assistance to parents in dependency and parental rights cases. He was rated "not recommended" by the bar association.
• District Judge Susan Evashavik DiLucente, 46, of Forest Hills, will appear on the Democratic and Republican ballots. She has been the district judge for Edgewood, Forest Hills, Wilkins and Churchill since 2002. Before that, she was a trial attorney for 20 years. She was rated "recommended" by the bar association and endorsed by the county Democratic Party.
• Philip Ignelzi, 52, of McCandless, will appear on both ballots. A former federal prosecutor, Mr. Ignelzi practices in the areas of civil litigation and white collar criminal defense cases. He was rated "highly recommended" by the bar association.
• Arnie Klein, 47, of Upper St. Clair, will appear on both ballots. Mr. Klein, who mounted an unsuccessful campaign for judge in 2007, practices in several areas, including personal injury and criminal defense. He was rated "recommended" by the bar association and endorsed by the county Democratic Party.
• Joseph V. Luvara, 53, of Carnegie, will appear on the Democratic ballot. Mr. Luvara has worked as an attorney since 1996 in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and California. His private practice is mostly in bankruptcy and property cases, but he also does criminal defense. He did not seek a rating from the bar association.
• Michael F. Marmo, 54, of Ohio Township, will appear on both ballots. Mr. Marmo's law practice handles real estate, estate planning, and probate cases and represents small businesses. For the last 13 years he has heard tax appeal and eminent domain cases as a special master for the Court of Common Pleas. Mr. Marmo was rated "recommended" by the bar association and endorsed by the county Democratic Party.
• Hugh Fitzpatrick McGough, 53, of Shadyside, will appear on both ballots. A former assistant city solicitor and labor relations manager for Pittsburgh, Mr. McGough left the city Law Department in 2007 for private practice, handling civil and criminal cases. He also serves as a mediator in U.S. District Court. Mr. McGough was rated "highly recommended" by the bar association.
• Michele Zappala Peck, 48, of Mt. Lebanon, will appear on both ballots. Ms. Peck is the sister of Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. and daughter of former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Stephen A. Zappala Sr. Ms. Peck was named to the Board of Viewers of the Court of Common Pleas in 2007 to hear property assessment and eminent domain appeals. She was rated "not recommended" by the bar association.
• Jennifer Satler, of Washington's Landing, will appear only on the Democratic ballot. She did not seek a rating from the bar association and did not respond to inquiries about her background.
• Michael S. Sherman, 46, of Ross, will appear on the Democratic ballot. A former attorney for the Pennsylvania State Police, he has a private practice mostly focused on criminal defense. He was rated "recommended" by the bar association.
• State Rep. Don Walko, 55, of the North Side, will appear on both ballots. Mr. Walko, a Democrat, serves as chairman of the state House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts. He has served in the state House since 1995. He was rated "not recommended" by the bar association and was endorsed by the county Democratic Party.
• Common Pleas Judge Joseph K. Williams III, 57, of Penn Hills, will appear on both ballots. Judge Williams, who had a private law practice in Manchester, has served in the court's criminal division since November, when Gov. Ed Rendell appointed him to fill a vacancy. He was rated "highly recommended" by the bar association and endorsed by the county Democratic Party.
• Leah Williams-Duncan, 43, of the North Side, will appear on the Democratic ballot. Since 2001, Ms. Williams-Duncan has been a hearing officer in the family division in the Court of Common Pleas. She also is a member of the Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations, which studies and investigates discrimination complaints. She was rated "recommended" by the bar association.
Correction/Clarification: (Published Apr. 21, 2009) Joseph Luvara, a candidate for judge on Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, has been practicing law since 1996. This story as originally published April 5, 2009 about the race contained incorrect information about how long he has been practicing.
First Published April 5, 2009 1:00 am
