Judicial candidates lining up (UPDATE)

MAIER

There are two judgeships up for grabs in Troy this year – the expiring term of City Court Judge Chris Maier and a newly created, fulltime position worth $113,900 a year for a decade.

Obviously, the Democrats will support Maier again. He’s been a solid judge, a proven vote getter and there is no real reason for voters to toss him off the bench.

The second spot is up for grabs but leading the pack for the party’s nomination is Corporation Counsel Ian Silverman, a former assistant district attorney who was appointed corp. counsel by Mayor Lou Rosamilia. He has served the party well in a relatively short time he’s been in the game and other Democrats interested will be hard pressed to get the nomination ahead of him, and harder pressed to win a primary.

On the flip side, Republicans are prepared to back attorney Jill Kehn, who in addition to having a private practice is an assistant Rensselaer County attorney, according to her Linkedin profile. She is also Troy Civil Court Judge Matt Turner's sister-in-law.

The GOP is still scrambling to find a second candidate, but given the pay scale and 10 years of job security, someone will take a shot at it.

One dynamic that is worth mentioning is the election will be similar to an At Large Council race in that the two top vote getters will win rather than a head-to-head race for each individual seat. I don’t know if it helps or hinders any particular candidate but it will make who shows up where on the ballot – and who is across from whom - all the more important.

Another dynamic is if Silverman gets the nod, which is all but a given, and wins he will have to give up the corporation counsel job. Who replaces him is less obvious, though, and one name bantered about is attorney Amy O’Connor. She is active within the party and savvy enough to help on the political end of things but she lives in Brunswick. Yes, residency requirements are often snubbed but with something as high profile as corp. counsel would be a tough sell.

Then again, Troy voters elected a Brunswick resident to the Council so who knows.

While O'Connor's name has been mentioned, I'm informed she has a full time job working as an attorney across the river for the state and taking the corp. counsel job would be a pay cut. Also, I'm informed, whoever takes the position will not be required to live in the city.