Jan 9, 2017 2 min read

Joyce A. Hatfield-Wise is running for judge on Washington County Common Pleas Court.

Hatfield-Wise, 52, made the announcement Sunday in a news release. She was the solicitor for the county’s Children and Youth Services agency for 18 years before retiring in September, and is now a private practice attorney who also accepts court conflict appointments. Hatfield-Wise has cross-filed for the May primary election.

She is the third candidate to announce a bid for a court seat in the May primary. Phillippe Melograne, 55, was the first to do so, in mid-December, followed by Assistant District Attorney Kristin Clingerman, 53, last week.

Melograne, of Peters Township, was appointed a judge in the court in November 2010. He held that seat until December 2011.

Judges are elected to 10-year terms.

The six-seat Washington County bench had a vacancy due to the retirement of President Judge Debbie O’Dell Seneca in January 2015. Gov. Tom Wolf appointed local attorney Damon Faldowski to fill the vacancy, and he took the oath of office in July for a term that ends at the close of 2017.

On Monday, there was a separate development in the county judicial race when Faldowski, after lengthy discussions with his family, decided not to run because the amount of time he would have to devote to a candidacy would take away from his commitment to serving the people of Washington County and add to the workload of his colleagues on the bench.

“My focus should be on helping (litigants) as opposed to my personal gain,” Faldowski said. “I really gave it a lot of heartfelt consideration.”

A lifelong county resident, Hatfield-Wise announced her intent on a date marked by personal milestones. Sunday was her birthday and the 19th anniversary of her swearing-in as an attorney.

Hatfield-Wise was the first full-time solicitor for CYS. In 2008, she co-founded ChildFirst Pennsylvania, a forensic interview and court preparation training program.

She is a member of Washington County Bar Association, where she recently completed her second three-year term is an elected member of the executive board.

A 1983 graduate of Chartiers-Houston High School, Hatfield-Wise has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in addition to a law degree from Duquesne University. She lives in Amwell Township with her husband, Don; son Ean, 19, a sophomore at Duquesne; and daughter Zoe, 16, a sophomore at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School.