BY ADAM ATKINSON

North Country This Week

POTSDAM — Retired investigator and school resource officer Kenneth “Juddy” Plumb is one of two candidates running for town justice who up for a vote from Conservative Party voters during the June 28 primary election.

Plumb will face David Haggard. Haggard was appointed town justice in 2021 by the town board to serve a 13-month term to replace long-time Town Justice Sam Charleson who retired Dec. 1, 2021.

Plumb believes alternative sentencing should be an option for town justices and that those serving in the position should be available 24 hours a day and be accountable.

Plumb brings an extensive law enforcement career history to the table if elected to serve.  He served with the New York State Police for 20 years as a trooper, canine handler, BCI investigator and school resource officer before retiring in 2008. After that he worked as a BOCES criminal justice instructor until retiring in 2020.

A North Country native, he was born and raised in Norfolk and graduated in 1984 from Norwood-Norfolk Central School. After school he served in the U.S. Army as a military policeman.

Plumb is a member of the American Legion, the Elks and is the president of Adopt a Platoon-444.

Plumb believes that those elected to the town justice bench need to understand what has happened in people’s lives before they get to the court to answer for a charge.

“There are many things that happen to get you there. Which is why I’m in favor of alternative sentencing. The court shouldn’t be another way of taxing people,” he said.

Plumb says things like motor vehicle violations should not be punished harsher than a crime against another human being, and a teenager should be dealt with constructively compared to a person who violates court orders and commits a felony against another person.

Plumb said the most important attribute or judicial philosophy is treating each case individually and with some knowledge of the background.

“You have got to understand who is standing in front of you,” Plumb said. “It can’t be an assembly line approach.”

Plumb, a Republican and Conservative, is running for the Conservative line against Democrat David Haggard but says political affiliation for a town justice candidate is about getting elected instead of pushing a platform later as a justice.

“You’re in there to uphold the law and it isn’t about political party,” Plumb said. “We all have to abide by the law.”

The candidate says he is not in favor of what he calls the “let them go philosophy” promoted by the state bail reform law, but said right now that is what the law says and justices need to follow the law. However, he said justices do have options for sentencing in cases.

Plumb draws contrasts with his primary opponent, an attorney, in terms of career and experience, but points out that he has the background to serve as justice.

“You don’t need to be an attorney to be a town justice. You need to know criminal procedural law and that’s what police officers work with every day.”

“I will let our employment history speak for itself,” Plumb said, pointing to the differences between he and his opponent.

The former investigator said he was inspired to run for the position due to a need to continue to serve the public in some way.

“It’s kind of like a conclusion to my whole career of public service,” he said.