BELLEFONTE — Local attorney Bernie Cantorna has officially thrown his hat into the ring for the Centre County district attorney position, and the sparks have started to fly.
Cantorna, a partner in Bryant & Cantorna P.C., made the announcement with his wife, Margherita, and daughter Gabriella at a small press conference in the cafeteria of the Willowbanks Building on Nov. 29.
“I am running for Centre County district attorney to restore public trust in fair trials and even-handed law enforcement,” he said. “When I first practiced law here more than 10 years ago, the legal system here in Centre County was seen as the best in the state. It has gotten away from that distinction, and I want to bring it back. The people of the county deserve that.”
The election is in November 2017.
He said he wants to push politics away from the DA’s office, and be proactive in dealing with criminals in the county legal system.
“Politics will not play any role in my office. If elected, my office will work professionally with law enforcement, judges, lawyers and courthouse staff,” said Cantorna. “Violent offenders will be prosecuted aggressively, while non-violent offenders may be channeled into diversion programs and treatment geared toward rehabilitation.”
He also said he would champion for victims and their rights in aspects of criminal justice proceedings.
“I also think it’s important we work to rid the county of the opioid epidemic that affects so many of us,” he said. “There’s lots of work to be done.”
Cantorna is no stranger to the DA’s office. Over the past several years, he and incumbent Stacy Parks Miller have bantered several times in a Centre County courtroom. Cantorna, however, said his disagreements with Parks Miller didn’t persuade him to run for the office.
“This has been something I’ve been thinking about for the past six months, and after talking it over with my family, decided it would be a good choice to run for district attorney,” he said. “I’m running for district attorney. I’m not running against anyone. This has everything to do with finding a way to make the legal system treat everyone the same.”
Parks Miller challenged Cantorna’s reasoning. She said his past actions led him to this week’s announcement.
“Now we know why he and his cronies falsely and maliciously accused me of a crime; to get me out of the way because he covets the job for himself,” Parks Miller told the Centre County Gazette. “He was the first person to publicly falsely accuse me, and as I promised, I was completely innocent.”
In 2015, Parks Miller and her staff were accused of being corrupt by Cantorna and a handful of other lawyers. After months of legal battles, a grand jury eventually acquitted Parks Miller of all charges.
“Do our people really want such a man willing to do and say anything to win without regard to the truth?” Parks Miller said. “Including currently defending convicted baby abusers by attacking the way law enforcement professionals and doctors are trying to keep our community and children safe.
“We send criminals to prison. We protect children. He tries, fortunately without much success, to get them off,” she continued. “He can’t beat us in the courtroom, so he cheats by making serial false accusations against me and my dedicated staff. The truth has finally come out.”
Cantorna released a statement soon after Parks Miller made her comments.
“I was one of the attorneys involved in the case that revealed that the district attorney’s office and a former judge were engaged in excessive texting during the trial,” Cantorna said. “The Superior Court reviewed the case and found that the DA did not give the defendant a fair trial, so they ordered a new trial.”
Parks said the records revealed no such thing.
“I did not engage in any texting during the trial with that judge and the Superior Court did not find his allegations about that even worthy of review or mention,” Parks Miller said. “Cantorna continues to lie to the public to get a job.”
“I am running because all trials should be fair,” Cantorna said. “I am disappointed that the DA continues to engage in personal attacks rather than discussing the issues. I intend to discuss the issues and trust the voters to decide who they prefer to have in the DA’s office.”
Cantorna pointed to the employee turnover ratio in the district attorney’s office as an example of just one thing that needs to be changed. He said in the past seven years, there has been a 300 percent turnover rate.
“That speaks volumes as to just what’s happening in the courthouse,” Cantorna said. “We have done better in the past and we need to do better again.”
Cantorna is a native of Chicago and is a staff member at the Trial Lawyer’s College, founded by renowned Wyoming lawyer Gerry Spence. As a senior staff member, Cantorna organizes and teaches graduate level law courses to other lawyers.
Prior to moving to Centre County, he was a clinical professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School for five years, after serving as a Wisconsin public defender for three. He attended the University of Wisconsin Law School where he graduated cum laude. Prior to becoming a lawyer, he was a certified public accountant with Grant Thornton in Madison, Wisc.
Cantora’s wife of 28 years, Margherita, is a distinguished professor in the College of Agriculture at Penn State, specializing in immunology and microbiology. Her research focuses on the effects of vitamin D on the immune system and diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Crohn’s.
The couple have two daughters, Elena and Gabriella, who attend Penn State and are All-Americans in women’s rugby. The sisters learned the game from their father, who is head coach of the State College High School girls’ rugby team and defensive coach for the national champion Penn State women’s rugby team. In his spare time, Cantorna is also a private pilot.
