Lead judge eyes future

Kagarise takes over as president judge, outlines vision for court in coming years

Blair County Judge Wade A. Kagarise enters his second 10-year term in office as the new President Judge of the Court Common Pleas with feelings of optimism and enthusiasm -- despite the many challenges that lie ahead.

On Friday, he outlined what he called his "strong vision of the future," a vision that involves "a plan for us to do our jobs better, one that sees that justice is done and to do this with clarity (by establishing a strong working relationship with the executive branch of government), one in which we can better serve the public and use the taxpayers’ dollars with efficiency."

During an interview before the afternoon swearing-in ceremonies in the Blair County Courthouse, Kagarise said Blair's situation is unprecedented, with two new judges taking office and a judicial vacancy caused by the non-retention of Judge Elizabeth A. Doyle.

He said that state Sen. Judy Ward is addressing the filling of the vacancy, a move which he said he supports.

He then said he knows the two judges who were sworn into office, David Consiglio, a longtime attorney, and Fred B. Miller, who has served as a Magisterial District Justice for more than 20 years.

He feels Blair has a strong "team" of judges that also includes Jackie A. Bernard, who worked closely with Kagarise when both were assistant district attorneys.

"I think it is important to work as a team and do our best to have a strong vision of the future," he said.

He also includes in that "team" the directors and employees of the many court-related offices.

"I think we have a good team, a good relationship," he said.

He plans to ask the department heads to set goals and develop plans to address staff shortages and the pay scale as an attempt to be competitive with surrounding counties.

He's going to encourage people to "think out of the box," for instance, to possibly attend college job fairs in search of new employees.

"I hope to provide strong leadership on this," he said.

He also believes the judges should have a strong relationship with the commissioners, both sides sharing ideas to address the staff and funding problems of the courts.

He wants a dialogue that will create a more efficient system, and he predicts a system that in the long run will be efficient and cut costs for the county in other areas.

Kagarise said he has many ideas but noted it would be premature to begin discussing them at this point.

The new president judge also discussed the present court system.

He said Blair County's numbers (the backlog) are about the same as they have been for the past 10 or 15 years.

But he said cases in the court system now are "more serious and more complex."

Law enforcement and the use of videos, body cameras, recordings and other technology to bring convictions mean it takes more time to prepare for trials.

"I would like to see (this circumstance) improve," the judge said.

He also pointed out that indigent defendants and parents who are about to lose their children are entitled to legal representation.

"The law is clear ... Taxpayers have to fund that," he explained.

"I really believe good leaders are optimistic. They focus on what can be done ... You need to be optimistic."

He said the judges and the commissioners have started a dialogue, and, he stated, "I have reason to be optimistic based on what is happening so far."

The judge added that he plans to periodically issue public statements on the state of the court.