ONEONTA _ City voters will be able to decide Tuesday who will be Judge Walter L. Terry III's successor on the Oneonta City Court bench.
City Judge Lucy Bernier, a Democrat, and City Prosecutor Michael Getman, a Republican, are vying for the elected seat held by Terry. Oneonta City Court has two judges who serve six-year terms _ one appointed by the mayor and the other elected by city residents.
Bernier, a former city prosecutor and assistant district attorney, was appointed in 2004 by then-Mayor Kim Muller to the quarter-time position at City Court. Bernier filled the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge William K. Atchinson Jr.
Terry is retiring from his elected seat on Oneonta City Court at the end of the year but will maintain his private practice. His half-time city post pays $54,000.
Getman, the son of former City Court Judge Frank Getman, who died in April, was appointed city prosecutor in 2004 and has served as an assistant district attorney since 1998.
Bernier served as city prosecutor from 1998 through 2003 and as an assistant district attorney for Otsego County from 1992 to 1997. She has been in private practice since 1981 with her mother, Patricia Pantaleoni. The practice focuses on family law, wills and residential real-estate, according to a media release.
Bernier received her law degree from Albany Law School in 1980. She is married to city Community Development Director Joseph Bernier, and they have two children, Genevieve and Emily.
Getman received his law degree from Nova University in Florida in 1986 and practiced law in Florida and Massachusetts before moving back to New York in 1991.
Getman is chairman of the board at A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital and teaches criminal law and procedure at the State University College at Oneonta.
He and his wife, Ellyn, have three children, Sean, Ceili and Mary Margaret.
Oneonta City Court judges preside over traffic, municipal code and misdemeanor cases and perform felony arraignments and preliminary hearings. They also handle civil cases.
In addition to the city judge race, voters in the town of Oneonta will be able to choose from three candidates for two town justice positions.
Incumbent Justice Bruce Smith, Philip Hosley and Andrew Liddle are seeking the two justice positions for Oneonta Town Court.
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Jake Palmateer can be reached at 432-1000 or (800) 721-1000, ext. 221, or at jpalmateer@thedailystar.com.
