BY ADAM ATKINSON

North Country This Week

POTSDAM — Democrat David Haggard, a former county DSS attorney, county legislator, and assistant district attorney, is running in the June 28 Conservative party primary for the party nod in the upcoming town justice race.

Haggard, who currently serves as the town’s appointed justice, will face retired state police investigator and school resource officer Kenneth “Juddy” Plumb in the primary.

Previously, Haggard served as District Attorney Mary Rain’s second-in-command (chief assistant district attorney) for two years before resigning in March 2016, but worked as an attorney for 12 years before. Prior to that he was a vice president of Charter One Bank, overseeing a region from Glens Falls to Watertown.

He was elected to the District 10 seat (which covers the village of Potsdam) on the St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators in 2018, but resigned in March of 2020 to take a job as general counsel for the county Department of Social Services.

He served in that capacity until April 2021. He was appointed by the town board to serve a 13-month term to replace long-time Town Justice Sam Charleson who retired Dec. 1, 2021.

The candidate said the most important trait for a justice is to approach each case as a neutral arbiter.

“They need to listen to facts and apply the law,” Haggard said. Haggard said he has the experience from thousands of legal cases to be able to do that. “I think it puts me in a unique position to come in and work as a judge.”

Haggard said, although he is a Democrat, he is running for a Conservative Party nomination due to his judicial philosophy, which he says is conservative. Haggard says justices need to sit as neutral and detached magistrates to provide equal access to all who come before the court.

“Political party should not and must not play a role when serving as a town justice,” the candidate said, and only matters when running for the office.

“So I’m running as a conservative to reflect my judicial philosophy, and I’m running as a Democrat because of my lifelong party affiliation.”

Haggard said judges must approach each case before them with the understanding that for the individual standing before them, that case is the most important case in the world. “They deserve that respect,” he said.

“I've had the honor to appear before many, many outstanding judges my entire career, and I've learned from each,” he said. He pointed to his case record handling minor and major crimes, including drug cases, domestic situations and even murders.

“It gives you perspective and it gives you an understanding and a way to look at trials,” he said. “I think I bring these things to the table.”

“I think that public service should be its own inspiration. In my case, Potsdam is my home, and the citizen’s of Potsdam are my neighbors,” Haggard said. “If they vote for me they can depend on strict adherence to the law and true faithfulness to serving as their town justice.”