Bedford Town Justice Q&A: Judy Aydelott

Judy Aydelott is the Democratic candidate for Bedford Town Justice. The questions below were edited for formatting but not for content:

Patch: Why are you running?
Aydelott: The Town Court, the local court of the people, needs a judge with a broad and varied background and a strong attachment to the community.  I am the right woman.  This is the right job.  This is the right time.  I'll tell you why. My legal experience translates into 'knowing the courtroom:" a trial attorney appearing and trying cases for over 30 years in New York State courts from New York City and Long Island to Albany, and in Federal Court in New York State, Maryland and Washington, D.C.; handling appeals in New York's Appellate Divisions and the Federal Second Circuit Court of Appeals; being an adjunct professor of trial practice at St. Johns Law School and a faculty member of a distinguished trial academy at the University of Colorado; having leadership positions in the Northern Westchester Bar, the Westchester Bar and the New York State Bar Associations, and being a Court TV commentator. My life experiences allow me to bring not only a diverse skill set to our courts but also to our community: leadership roles in local non-profits Friends of Karen, helping families of catastrophically ill children cope with their struggles, A-HOME, providing affordable housing for seniors, first responders and single parents; Northern Westchester Hospital, Friends of the John Jay Homestead, Caramoor and my church, Bedford Presbyterian, even being a founder of a prosperous New York State chartered commercial bank, Country Bank as well as founding and managing a successful law firm, and most important, raising a family.  My husband Gordon and I have lived in and loved Katonah for 36 years, our daughters went through the John Jay schools, two of my grandchildren are there now, and a third graduated in 2012. The Right Woman.  The Right Job.  The Right Time. 

Patch: What perspectives would you offer that are different from, your opponent, who is an incumbent town justice?
Aydelott: My legal and life experiences outlined above allow me to take the position beyond the courtroom and into the community.  I am anxious to emphasize early intervention with our area teenagers by going into their classrooms to discuss the consequences of "brushes with the law" BEFORE they occur.  Similar to the good work of DARE, the schools I contacted were very enthusiastic about adding the perspective and advice of a Judge, something that hadn't been offered before.  

Patch: How well is the town's court system being handled? Would you change anything? 
Aydelott: From my observations, the Town Court runs smoothly, but I cannot say more until I've had an opportunity to make my own analysis to ensure that the taxpayers' dollars are being appropriately spent and that justice is being administered fairly, efficiently and expeditiously.