As longtime Centre County Court of Common Pleas Judge Bradley Lunsford prepares to retire, two State College attorneys have been selected to run for the open ten-year-term on the bench.
Katie Oliver of the McQuaid Blasko law firm has been nominated to run by the Centre County Democrats, and Ron McGlaughlin has been nominated by the Centre County Republicans. After being approved by the Pennsylvania Department of State, both attorneys will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Oliver, a Centre County resident for the last 20 years, was the valedictorian of the 1995 class of the Penn State Dickinson School of Law. Since then, she has worked primarily in civl litigation in Centre County and the surrounding area, working in employment and contract disputes, oil and gas industry litigation and medical and legal malpractice suits. She is a McQuaid Blasko shareholder, a girl scouts troop leader and a pro bono mediator for the federal Middle District Court of Pennsylvania, where she helps parties resolve issues before going to a judge.
“I am firmly committed to using my twenty years of legal experience to serve the people of Centre County as a judge on its Court of Common Pleas,” Oliver says in a statement. “I look forward to the campaign, and to the chance to meet more of the Centre County voters in that process.”
McGlaughlin, a State College resident for the last 28 years, obtained his Juris Doctorate from Ohio Northern Law School in 1984 and has previously worked as law clerk in Mifflin County and practiced law in the Philadelphia area. He focuses his practice on business law, criminal defense, family law, real estate and estate law. In addition to his legal work, McGlaughlin is also an alternate Harris Township solicitor and a former State College Little League baseball coach.
“Beyond my experience, I believe I have the temperament and attributes necessary for the important position of Common Pleas Court Judge,” McGlaughlin says in a statement. “Throughout my career, I have always strived to be honest, forthright, fair and courteous with all those I come in contact with, from the public to the judiciary and members of the bar. I assure you that I will bring each of these qualities to the bench.”
Lunsford’s retirement, announced last Friday less than three months after he launched a retention campaign, has put Centre County in unique position by creating a shortened election cycle. Both Centre County political parties had until Thursday to nominate an attorney to run in the November election, condensing their campaigns to only about two months.
Either McGlaughlin or Oliver will begin their term in the Centre County Courthouse in January 2016.
