2017 election: District magistrate, West End of Monroe County

Two candidates are on the ballot for district magistrate in the West End of Monroe County. The League of Women Voters of Monroe County provided the following information.

Debbie York

Chestnuthill Township

D.O.B.: 07/18/1954

Education: Pleasant Valley High School, 1972; Minor judiciary education certification, 1987, Wilson College; East Stroudsburg University, psychology, 1990; various classes in addiction and abuse.

Occupation: Retired

Qualifications: magisterial district judge, 24 years: 6 years Chestnuthill, Eldred, Ross and Polk townships; 18 years Chestnuthill and Jackson townships; President, West End Rotary 2015-16; Vice President board of trustees, Western Pocono Library; 2017 successfully completed certification from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Minor Judiciary Education Board.

Do you have a specific suggestion for improving the administration of the office for which you are a candidate? Magisterial district judges should be in their office full time and should not be allowed to practice law.

Colleen Mancuso

Chestnuthill Township

D.O.B.: 02/15/1966

Education: 1993, Ohio Northern University, School of Law, J.D.; 1988, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. BA, Secondary Education

Occupation: Magisterial District Judge of Chestnuthill and Jackson townships

Qualifications: Incumbent since 2012. Former Assistant District Attorney for Monroe County 2001-11; Former public defender for Monroe County, 1994-97; civil attorney, 1997-2016

Answer: My court has a unique situation in which Eldred, Ross and Polk townships will join Chestnuthill Township to form District Court 43-3-04. To accommodate the increased caseload, I plan to hold criminal court twice a week to offer more scheduling options to the parties involved. Civil, traffic, nontraffic, landlord/tenant, truancy and weddings will be scheduled throughout the week and into the later afternoons.