Katie Oliver wins seat on Centre County bench

When Judge Bradley P. Lunsford announced he would be stepping down from the bench in September, both Democrat and Republican parties were looking at a small window of opportunity to find some candidates.

Finding candidates wasn’t initially a necessity for Tuesday’s election, as an open bench wasn’t even supposed to be on the ticket. But Lunsford withdrew his retention, announcing his retirement at the end of his term in January.

In less than a week, the Centre County Republican Committee nominated attorney Ron McGlaughlin, of Attorneys Stover and McGlaughlin. The Democratic Committee in turn nominated attorney Katie Oliver, of McQuaide Blasko, with the winner taking Lunsford’s 10-year term on the bench.

Selection for nomination was contested: county Republican Party Chairman Steve Miller in September said five people — McGlaughlin, Dave Mason, Ashley Kranich, Louis Lombardi and District Judge Kelley Gillette-Walker — all made presentations to the committee, while Democratic Party Chairman Greg Stewart said seven others besides Oliver expressed interest in the Democratic nomination but declined to name them.

Earlier Tuesday, McGlaughlin said he had visited about 10 precincts to greet voters and be a presence before hitting his home precinct in Harris Township. He remarked on what appeared to be a good voter turnout.

“I know it’s an off-year election, so the turnout tends to be a little lower,” he said, “but this is a good turnout. It could be the good weather.”

He said he was ready to take over the position, but it was up to what the voters had to say.

Unfortunately for McGlaughlin, the voters said they preferred Oliver, who led with 52.6 percent of the vote. McGlaughlin garnered 47.2 percent of the vote.

Oliver celebrated at home with her family. She wished McGlaughlin the best and thanked him for his professionalism during the race.

“I’m so grateful for all the support and thank all who voted,” she said. “I feel very good about the win. We ran a good race and a good campaign.”

Oliver said that stepping in as a new judge provides a tremendous opportunity to focus on new programs to help the court move forward. These included different remediation programs, including the potiential for drug courts or mental health courts.

The first thing she needs to focus on, she said, is getting her current clients into good hands and wrapping up her practice in a way that best serves their needs. After that, she plans on sitting in with the current judges and getting acclimated to the new environment.

“I plan to step in and do the job the way it needs to be done,” she said, “and that means treating everyone in a respectful way and following the law to move the court forward.

“With a judicial race, it’s a nonpartisan position,” she said. “It’s about serving the responsibility of the law. I’m looking forward to doing that.”

This story was originally published November 4, 2015 at 12:44 AM with the headline "Katie Oliver wins seat on Centre County bench."