Washington attorney announces candidacy
Longtime Washington attorney Charles Kurowski has announced his candidacy for a seat on Washington County Court of Common Pleas.
Kurowski, 64, is making his seventh run for a Washington County judicial seat. He is the fourth candidate to announce for the open seat, following former longtime Washington County Children and Youth Services solicitor Joyce Hatfield-Wise, current Assistant District Attorney Kristin Clingerman and former Washington County judge Phillippe Melograne.
In announcing his candidacy, Kurowski, who has a law degree from Duquesne University and has practiced in Washington County for 37 years, laid out a platform that includes:
• Funding his own campaign “to avoid even the slightest appearance of impropriety from PACS, businesses or attorneys donating then letting the public wonder whether the court is objective.”
• Supporting “getting the stench off the bench,” which includes being in favor of drug testing for anyone taking a check from taxpayers.
• Reducing the reliance on court-appointed masters to hear legal matters. “The taxpayer has the right to be in front of a judge instead of an appointed master. If you don’t want to do the work, don’t run for judge,” Kurowski said.
• Kurowski said he will “work tirelessly” to uphold the Constitution in his judicial decisions.
• Kurowski said he will fight the growing drug problem in the area “with tougher and stronger sanctions, sentences and penalties. … This sternness will be tempered with compassion toward those seeking help and against repeat offenders.”
Kurowski, a 1970 graduate of Trinity High School, also holds a bachelor’s degree from Geneva College and a master’s in sociology from Duquesne. He began private practice in 1980 and said that since then, he has handled every type of case that comes before a judge. He has been married since 2004 to Sherry Lynn Kurowski.
A vacancy on the Washington County bench occurred in January 2015 with the unexpected retirement of President Judge Debbie O’Dell Seneca. Gov. Tom Wolf appointed local attorney Damon Faldowski to serve through the end of this year. He is not seeking a full term on the court.