President Judge Wade A. Kagarise described the day as “rejoiceful and important,” especially for the Blair County judiciary after experiencing “a period of instability for which I don’t think we’ve ever seen.”

Over the past four years, Blair County has been at its full five-judge complement for only six months, Kagarise said, “and for the past year and a half, this court has served with only three of our five judges.”

“So, being a busy five-judge county, the past couple years have been difficult,” Kagarise said.

Before beginning the ceremony, Kagarise thanked his fellow common pleas judges Jackie Atherton Bernard and David Consiglio.

Julia Stoltz (center) zips the judicial robe for her husband, Kevin P. Stoltz Jr., who was sworn in as the Tyrone-area magisterial district judge on Friday morning at the Blair County Courthouse. Mirror photo by Rachel Foor-Musselman

“Without their dedication over the past two years, this court system would not have survived,” Kagarise said. “It has been a pleasure to serve with you two.”

Former state Rep. Louis C. Schmitt Jr. was the first person to be sworn in and take the bench as one of two newly elected judges serving in the 24th Judicial District Court of Common Pleas. In his remarks, Schmitt said he was there that morning because his grandfather, Johann Schmitt, left Bavaria in 1907 to follow his American dream to Altoona, where he worked as an unskilled laborer in the railroad shops of Juniata.

“So as my American dream began to unfold, it took me places and allowed me to meet people and allow me to do things that I couldn’t have imagined,” Schmitt said. “I’m here today because of so many other people who have helped me along the way and to whom I owe such a great debt of gratitude.”

When reflecting on the type of judge he wanted to be, Schmitt quoted Socrates in saying “four things belong to a judge — to hear courteously, to answer wisely, to consider soberly and to decide impartially.”

“I thought ‘that’s exactly the kind of judge that I want to be,'” Schmitt said.

Court of Common Pleas Judge Paula M. Aigner is helped into her judicial robe by her children (from left): Mary Catherine, Morgan and Christian. Mirror photo by Rachel Foor-Musselman

Former Magisterial District Judge Paula M. Aigner followed Schmitt and was sworn in as a judge in the court of common pleas, rounding out the five-judge complement.

Aigner drew attention to her robe, telling those gathered that “it doesn’t really fit because it wasn’t originally mine.”

“It’s 76 years old and it was my mother’s,” Aigner said.

As a student at the College of New Rochelle in New York, Aigner’s mother had to wear academic formal attire, she said.

“This was her college robe,” Aigner said. “And its second life was as a Halloween costume — no foreshadowing there, I may have worn it a couple decades ago.”

The robe was subsequently worn when members of Aigner’s family received college degrees or reached other milestones, including her sisters, brother, two nephews and daughter.

“They represent an integrity, respect, loyalty, diligent courage, faith and perseverance our parents instilled and their parents before them,” Aigner said.

As a common pleas judge, Aigner said she would continue honoring the values of the community and “preserve the public trust and return it unblemished at the end of my term.”

In his remarks, Kevin P. Stoltz Jr., who was sworn in as the magisterial district judge to fill the vacancy left by Fred Miller’s election to the court of common pleas in 2023, thanked his friends, family and those who aided his campaign, before saying that Miller’s parents were in attendance.

“They have become some very special people in my life this past year,” Stoltz said. “I can’t say enough about them.”

Miller unexpectedly became ill in 2024 during his first year in office and passed away.

Lisa L. Logan was sworn in by Kagarise as the acting register of wills and recorder of deeds following the retirement of Anita Terchanik, who held the position since 2020.

With 20 years of experience in the office as chief deputy, Logan will act as the register of wills and recorder of deeds until another is elected in 2027 or the governor issues an appointment to fill the vacancy, Kagarise said.

Also sworn in were Magisterial District Judge Matthew Dunio of the MDJ District 24-3-02 Court; Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks and assistant district attorneys Mark Bushnell, Nicholas Mays, Danielle McCormick and Jonathan Thomas; Sheriff James Ott, Chief Deputy Richard Peo, Lieutenant Kermit Alwine, Sergeant Justin Bennett, Sergeant David Dauria, Corporal Trinitie Applas, Corporal Vicente Teano and deputies Sarah Bougher, Paulino Cuevas, John Daversa, James Frantz, Bailey Kudlawiec, Thomas Lykens, Jared Markel, Megan Morgan, Keiton Pollock, Riccardo Talloni, Olivia Urbanek and Julia Zucofski; Prothonotary Robin Patton, First Deputy Prothonotary Kristy Oakes, First Deputy Clerk of Courts Erin George, Second Deputy Prothonotary Castine Rott, Second Deputy Clerk of Courts Victoria Guyer and Second Deputy Clerk of Orphans’ Court Crystal Gozaydin.

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor-Musselman is at 814-946-7458.