Chief legal officer seeking county judge post
Lehigh County solicitor Tom Caffrey on Wednesday signaled that he’d like to trade his job as the county’s chief legal officer for a black robe, by joining the crowded race for Lehigh County judge.
Caffrey, 59, of Whitehall Township, touted his three-plus decades of diverse legal experience, which includes roles as a prosecutor and criminal defense attorney, civil litigator and solicitor for several municipalities.
“I have the academic ability and experience to handle complex legal matters, but also the common sense required to understand and deal with the wide variety of issues and problems that come before a common pleas judge on a daily basis,” Caffrey said in a statement. “I will work hard, maintain an open mind, and treat all those who come before me fairly and with respect.”
A Republican, Caffrey said he will cross-file to appear on both parties’ ballots. He’s seeking one of three judge seats that will be open in the courthouse in Allentown due to the recent retirements of judges Kelly L. Banach and Maria L. Dantos, and the impending retirement of Judge Edward D. Reibman.
A native of Allentown, Caffrey is a graduate of Central Catholic High School, Pennsylvania State University and Dickinson School of Law. He started his career as an assistant solicitor in the Lehigh County Department of Law, then was appointed as a juvenile master in 1991, conducting juvenile delinquency hearings and parental neglect cases.
Caffrey said he gained valuable judicial experience from that post, and also “significant insight into the underlying issues — poverty, parental neglect, drug abuse and mental illness — that often lead to ongoing involvement in the criminal justice system.”
Caffrey joined the Lehigh County district attorney’s office as a prosecutor in 1998, and worked there until 2001, when he became the head of the Children and Youth Services Legal Unit. In 2004, he rejoined the Lehigh County Department of Law, rising through the ranks to be named solicitor last year. In that job, Caffrey leads a staff of 13 and advises county officials on legal matters.
Caffrey is the 10th attorney to join the race. The other candidates are Northampton County prosecutor Patricia Mulqueen; defense attorney David Ritter; Allentown District Judge Rashid Santiago; civil attorneys Zachary Cohen, Tom Capehart, Maraleen D. Shields and Carlos Rodriguez, and two deputy county solicitors, Eman H. Jarrah and Kathleen Stirba.
County judges serve 10-year terms.