Every magisterial district judge position in Northumberland County is up for election in Tuesday's primary, but only one of these races is contested.
In Magisterial District 08-2-01, which covers Mount Carmel, Kulpmont, Riverside and Marion Heights boroughs and Mount Carmel, East and West Cameron, Ralpho and Rush townships, attorney Hugh A. Jones, who took the office in 2009, is running against Kulpmont Police Chief Richard L. Wilson III.
Jones was appointed to the position in 2009 after the retirement of former district justice Michael F. Mychak, who had held the position since 1974.
There is now one fewer district. As a cost-saving measure, Northumberland County dropped a district in Sunbury in February, reducing the number of districts from five to four, after the retirement of District Judge William Kear, of Milton.
District Judges Robert J. Bolton, of Milton, John Gembic, of Shamokin, and Carl Rice, of Sunbury, are all running for re-election. They have cross-filed for both the Democratic and Republican primaries, and are running unopposed.
Both Jones and Wilson have also cross-filed, so the possibility does exist that the two men could meet again in November's general election if neither person wins the vote in both parties.
When asked why the electorate should vote for him, Jones cited his experience in the courtroom.
"I've been an attorney for 21 years, 10 of them as a defense attorney, eight of them as an assistant district attorney and two years as the county solicitor," Jones said. "I've argued in jury trials and bench trials, in civil and criminal court. It's something that my opponent can't match."
Wilson did not return calls for comment, but in his candidate announcement, he cited a decade of legal and courtroom experience gained during his tenure with several police departments, becoming chief of police in Kulpmont in 2008. In 2009, Wilson completed the Minor Judiciary Education Board training course, and was certified by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to serve as a magisterial district judge.
The police chief graduated as an honor student from Southern Columbia Area High School. He attended Bloomsburg University, earning a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, with a minor in mathematics. He obtained Act 120 certification from Lackawanna Junior College, graduating first in his class, and received the highest academic award from the police academy. Wilson also serves local school and church organizations through his work as a registered PIAA basketball official. He is a member of the Elysburg Valley Gun and Country Club, an officer with the Unknown Riders Motorcycle Club, the Fraternal Order of Police, Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, Clover Hose Fire Company of Mount Carmel and the East End and West End fire companies, of Kulpmont.
He previously served with the Mount Carmel Area Emergency Response Team and is an active member of the Northumberland-Montour Drug Task Force.
While Wilson's background stems from police work, Jones comes from the legal profession. A graduate of Mount Carmel Area High School, the University of Pennsylvania and Widener University School of Law, Jones served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force Reserve before beginning his legal career.
Over the years, he has served Northumberland County in different capacities, including chief clerk to the commissioners, assistant district attorney and solicitor. He is a member of the Pennsylvania and Northumberland County bar associations.
The magisterial district judge is a past president and 35-year member of the Mount Carmel Lions Club, past president and solicitor of the Mount Carmel Public Library and has served on its board of trustees for 30 years.