Law enforcement veteran seeking district judge seat
A longtime law enforcement figure has announced his candidacy for magisterial district judge.
John Bruner, 49, of Buffalo Township, is running for the seat being vacated by Ethan Ward, who is not seeking reelection. Bruner is seeking the Democratic and Republican nominations in the 27-3-10 MDJ voting district, which is based in Buffalo.
The district is made up of 13 Washington County municipalities: Amwell, Blaine, Buffalo, Donegal, East Finley, Hopewell, Independence, Morris, South Franklin and West Finley townships; and the boroughs of Claysville, Green Hills and West Middletown.
West Alexander, an unincorporated community in Donegal, is part of the district as well.
Bruner, a lifelong county resident, is currently employed by the Chartiers Valley School District in Allegheny County. He is the Act 44 safety and security coordinator, and school police officer, at Chartiers Valley – positions he previously held with the Keystone Oaks School District in Allegheny.
Bruner has worked in law enforcement since 1995. He graduated from Trinity High School in 1989, the University of Pittsburgh in 1993 and the Act 120 police academy at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1994, before becoming a county detective for the Greene County District Attorney’s Office for three years.
He moved on to South Strabane Township Police Department, where he was a police officer and detective for 20 years before retiring. During that time, Bruner was a crisis and hostage negotiator for the Washington Regional SWAT Team for six years.
He said he has attended more than 2,500 hearings at the Court of Common Pleas and magisterial levels in Washington, Greene and Allegheny counties.
Bruner, who said he will self-fund his campaign, said in a prepared statement: “I pledge to uphold the integrity of the judiciary. Just as important, I will make myself available to the wonderful teachers, principals and school resource officers who work in this (27-3-10) district.
“Assisting them in the classroom on the dangers and legal consequences of teens making bad decisions is a priority that I wish to pursue. If engaging our students in the classroom keeps them out of the courtroom, then it’s all worth the effort and hard work.”
He and his wife, Dr. Annette Clemente, have resided in Buffalo Township since 2004.