The 2025 municipal election season is underway, with the first local candidate for the May primary announcing his run.
Centre County Magisterial District Judge Steven Lachman is seeking a third term serving district 49-3-05, he said in a press release. The district, one of six in Centre County, covers the State College neighborhoods of College Heights, Greentree, Holmes-Foster and Waupelani/Orchard Park, the West College/Beaver Avenue area, the western half of the University Park campus and downtown between South Garner and South Allen streets.
Lachman has handled nearly 25,000 cases in his first two terms and said that he continues to be “dedicated to bringing respect, transparency, and impartiality to the courtroom.”
“During the past two terms, I have been honored to serve our community. I take the duty that voters have entrusted in me with the utmost seriousness. I work each day to uphold the law and protect our community,” Lachman said in a statement. “If the voters allow me another term, I promise to maintain a fair and just courtroom and I will continue to prioritize rehabilitation and education where possible.”
A State College resident since 1997, Lachman was a Penn State law professor prior to his first election in 2013. He was previously a a public defender in Pittsburgh and a litigator for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Lachman earned his law degree from Vermont Law School and a Ph.D. in geography from Penn State.
He is frequent volunteer with Schlow Centre Region Library, State College Area High School Mock Trial and the Sierra Club, as well as an active supporter of many community organizations, according to his reelection announcement. Lachman and his wife, Kathleen, have two children and three grandchildren.
Campaign website: stevelachmanforjudge.com
Magisterial district judges are elected to six-year terms. They preside over preliminary hearings in criminal cases and hear traffic, summary offense, landlord-tenant and small-claims civil cases. They also perform marriages and issue search and arrest warrants and emergency protection from abuse orders.
As of Jan. 1, magisterial district judges in Pennsylvania earn an annual salary of $113,713.
Two other magisterial district judgeships in Centre County are up for election in 2025.
District 49-1-01, which covers the rest of State College Borough, has been held District Judge Don Hahn since 2020. District 49-3-02, which serves Bellefonte, the Nittany Valley and the Lower Bald Eagle Valley, has been held by District Judge Kelley Gillette-Walker since 2014.
