Otsego County's judicial candidates, Jhilmil ``Jill'' Ghaleb and John Lambert, are scheduled to meet and deliver public statements Oct. 27 at the State University College at Oneonta.
Their joint appearance will follow a debate, sponsored by the League of Women Voters of the Oneonta Area, between incumbent Republican state Senator James Seward of Milford, and Democratic challenger, Donald Barber, supervisor of the town of Caroline.
The forum at the Craven Lounge in Morris Hall is slated to begin at 7 p.m. with the judicial candidates taking the stage at about 8:30.
Ghaleb, an independent voter who has been endorsed by the county's Democratic Committee, said she is looking forward to the event.
``It should be a good opportunity to meet people and let them know why I'm running,'' she said.
Last spring, Ghaleb was appointed interim county judge by Gov. David Paterson and confirmed by state Senate. Her term is due to expire at the end of the year and she is seeking a full 10-year term from voters this November.
``It's been a privilege to serve on the bench,'' she said Wednesday. ``You really can make a difference in people's lives and I think of it as a natural extension of my years as an attorney.''
Ghaleb, who turns 44 Thursday, said that in recent years her practice had concentrated on family court matters and she has found the judgeship to be similar.
Republican nominee, Lambert, 39, the county's chief assistant district attorney, said the post of county judge is really three jobs in one.
``In our county, a judge presides in county, surrogate and family court, and you need experience in each one,'' he said.
He has that experience, Lambert said.
Although statistics show that family court has the most cases, ``they don't show the amount of time and effort devoted to each case,'' he noted.
A county judge spends many hours preparing for, then presiding over felony cases, which typically involve several pre-trial sessions as well as the trial, Lambert said.
``As a statistic that might show up as one case, but in reality, it might require weeks of work,'' he said.
The chief ADA said he, too, is looking forward to the Oct. 27 forum.
``I've been going door-to-door talking to people about why I'm running and it's been very rewarding,'' he said. ``When they come to the door and see that I'm not trying to sell them something, people have been very welcoming.''
The League of Women Voters' forum, which will be televised, will allow him to reach a larger audience, he said.
County judges currently earn $119,800 a year.
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