Montgomery County judicial candidates fight for name recognition as primary approaches

With the primary a month away, judicial candidates are hustling to gain name recognition in a race known for being largely ignored by the public.

On Sunday, that meant passing out fliers, wearing buttons and shaking hands at the Upper Moreland Republican Committee's spring brunch.

"I wish I could go door to door but I can't do that," said Stephen Heckman, a Blue Bell lawyer seeking a seat as a Montgomery County Common Pleas Court judge. "It's a big county."

The event gave candidates an opportunity to make an impression on reliable Republican voters in Montgomery County, where the Democrats enjoy a 252,486 to 206,953 edge in voter registration.

"We're the soldiers," said Dee Barnes, the Upper Moreland GOP Committee's chair.

Six candidates are vying for three open seats on the county bench, and in a race that is largely under the radar, name recognition or ballot position can determine winners and losers.

Gregory Cirillo, also running for Common Pleas court, brought up his well-known father, the late Pennsylvania Superior Court Judge Vincent Cirillo, when discussing why he was seeking a seat on the bench.

"It's been a lifelong dream to continue in public service," he said.

The small event - about 40 people showed - drew at least one candidate for statewide office, Pennsylvania Supreme Court candidate Michael George.

A former district attorney and defense attorney, the Adams County Common Pleas Court judge is running because he believes the court should have more members with experience in criminal law.

He also said being from Adams County is an asset, offering a different point of view from the judges from the state's big cities, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

"The Supreme Court, I believe, should be geographically balanced," he said.

How big an impact candidates make at events like Sunday's brunch is unclear. Henry Jacquelin, 72, a real estate broker from Upper Moreland, said he has voted in every election since he was 18 and, with a few exceptions votes Republican.

Jacquelin stays informed about elections, but admitted he had trouble keeping judicial candidates straight:

"I very rarely find out anything about them."

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