Vernon resigns as district justice
After more than two decades as a district justice, Rick Vernon is stepping down in hopes of serving the public in another way – as a supervisor for South Union Township. “It’s been an honor to serve the community for the last 23 years, and I hope to continue to serve the community as a supervisor,” Vernon said Saturday.
His magisterial district is comprised of both South Union and Menallen townships. His resignation takes effect on Tuesday.
Vernon, a lifelong resident of South Union, will run for the position currently held by Rock Coville. The longtime supervisor is not seeking re-election, Vernon said.
Vernon said he, Coville and the two other South Union supervisors, Robert Schiffbauer and Tom Frankhouser, were first elected to their respective offices around the same time, and have worked together over the years.
“We have a good rapport with one another,” said Vernon, noting that he would like to continue to work in harmony with Schiffbauer and Frankhouser if elected in November.
In a press release, Vernon said he “respects the fine job of the current board,” and believes he can work to continue to accomplish “growth, prosperity and fiscal responsibility as the governing body of South Union Township.”
Vernon said he’s witnessed the issues of crime and need for police protection firsthand during his tenure as a magisterial district judge (the new title for district justices), and is hopeful that his dealings with the state police in that capacity will be an asset if he is elected supervisor.
Vernon said he could not go into details about what he plans to do for the residents of South Union Township if elected because his resignation is not yet effective. Judicial conduct rules prohibit him from doing so until he is officially done as a district judge, he said.
Since Vernon’s term is up this year, a field of candidates – already rumored to include at least three local attorneys – is likely to circulate nominating petitions. Those petitions are due by March 8.
But until the fate of the office is decided, Fayette County President Judge Conrad B. Capuzzi will have to determine how it will operate. Vernon’s cases could be shipped to another district judge or a senior district judge could fill in.
Asked about what would happen if Vernon resigned, Deputy Court Administrator Robert A. Meese said Friday that no firm decisions were made.
“The president judge has not had the time to sit down and discuss the course of action,” Meese said.
According to the data available on the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, Vernon’s office averaged nearly 2,400 cases between 1994 and 2001. That was the most current data available on the site.
Vernon graduated from Laurel Highlands High School in 1969 and went on to California University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a degree in education. He taught in the Laurel Highlands district for eight years and was the school’s varsity baseball coach for seven years.
He is married to Nancy D. Vernon, the district attorney for Fayette County. They raised three sons together. Vernon is the son of Clyde and Margaret Vernon of South Union Township.