Candidate for State Supreme Court visits county

TOWANDA — On Nov. 7 voters will be faced with a number of local office elections on the ballot, from their local school board to the county commissioners. There are a number of statewide offices on the ballot as well, in particular several state courts.

On Thursday, Judge Carolyn Carluccio, a candidate for the state Supreme Court who will be on those ballots in November, visited Bradford County.

When asked why she would visit the county on her campaign, she said the county is important, and that getting to know its inhabitants was important to her.

"Bradford County is a lot like other rural counties," she replied, "People are good, they want to work hard, and just be happy."

Carluccio does not believe she can define her career with specific cases, but relies on the broad swath of experiences from her career to give her an understanding of law. She also feels strongly that she can hold down the day-to-day aspects of the role.

"The Supreme Court also has administrative responsibilities and I believe I'm uniquely qualified for that," she asserted.

Carluccio cites her service as President Judge of the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, as well as her time as Chief Public Defender as evidence that she can administer and lead teams.

Carluccio also worked as a United States Attorney for close to nine years, prosecuting crimes such as insurance fraud and drug busts.

Why is she pursuing a 10-year term on the highest court in the state?

"It was not something I set out to do, it wasn't my dream," she recalls.

When approached to run for the seat, she originally turned the offer down, though people she trusted said she had nothing to lose and that she'd serve well.

"It took awhile to come around but I've come around to the point where maybe I am the right person to do this," she said.

Carluccio is touring the counties of the state for her campaign, saying she'd visited all but two so far. She is the endorsed candidate of the Pennsylvania Republican Party. If elected, she would replace the deceased Chief Justice Max Baer, bringing the partisan balance of the court to 4-3 in favor of the Democratic Party.