KINGSTON TWP. — Brian Tupper received 1,943 votes, earning him the position of magisterial district judge in district 11-3-09, according to unofficial election results.
“I feel indescribable,” Tupper said Tuesday night about the preliminary numbers. “I want to thank everyone that helped with my campaign and everyone who went out to vote today.”
The 37-year-old campaigned against attorneys Gary Michak, Thomas Mosca and Adelle Zavada to replace his father, retiring Magisterial District Judge James E. Tupper. All candidates were on both Democrat and Republican ballots.
District 11-3-09 covers Dallas and Harveys Lake boroughs; Dallas, Franklin, Jackson, Kingston, Lake and Lehman townships.
Tupper and his wife, Chelsey, along with family, friends and supporters, watched the unofficial election results at J&J Deli, 3101, state Route 415 in Dallas.
“I am at a loss for words,” Tupper said. “All the knocking, door to door and meeting the residents of the Back Mountain just reaffirms my commitment to the residents.”
A classification analyst at Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Co. in Wilkes-Barre, Tupper prepared for the challenge of filling a position his father held for 24 years by completing a four-week certification course by the Justified Judicial System of Pennsylvania in June 2016.
“I was one out of nine (students) to pass the course and receive a certification from the commonwealth,” he said in a previous interview. “You are required to take the course if you want to become a judge and don’t have a law degree.”
The course prepared him to handle claims under $12,000, landlord and tenant issues, traffic violations, preliminary hearings and warrants, as well as many other legal matters he will be required to preside over as a district judge.
District judges in Pennsylvania are tasked with presiding over preliminary arraignments and hearings in criminal cases, as well as handling minor civil matters and proceedings involving summary offenses. They are compensated $89,438.
Tupper’s campaign promoted him as fair-minded, with a strong work ethic and desire to be a ‘full-time judge.’
The Shavertown resident said he wants to work with local law enforcement to increase outreach programs for children to promote safety and drug awareness.
He graduated magna cum laude from Misericordia University in Dallas with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration.
Tupper has previously worked at the State Correctional Institution at Dallas and the State Workers’ Insurance Fund in Scranton.
