Warwick Town Justice Democratic Candidate: Elizabeth Cassidy
Years of work as a municipal attorney and private practice preceded Cassidy's Democratic candidacy for Warwick town justice.
Elizabeth Cassidy recently described the roots of her interest in law as she discussed her Democratic candidacy for Warwick town justice. The influence of law on her community impressed her growing up, she said. She recalled the distress of a police chief, who was a family friend, about a missing girl and other challenges. Her mother was a paralegal who worked in a Connecticut law office where all buildings visible from the windows had been subject to legal activities in that office, whether planning, buying or building.
Cassidy says she appreciates having a similar experience in Warwick, where she has practiced law for 15 years. She moved to Warwick with her husband 15 years ago, after she graduated from Pace University Law School, and has been involved in municipal law in various roles, including village attorney for Florida since 2018.
“I love advising boards,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to address many areas, like codes, the environment, personnel and procurement.”
Driving past Albert Wisner Library reminds her of the role she played in its construction, she said. Likewise, she takes satisfaction in her role in acquiring 90 acres of open space for conservation that connects with a tract of county land under similar purchase of development rights (PDR) parameters.
She is counsel for the Village of Monroe Planning Board and code enforcement.
“I’ve done code enforcement in each municipality where I’ve worked,” she said. “I follow due process for property owners. There’s what you can see from the street versus what goes on behind closed doors and procedural issues, also for absentee landlords and zombie properties. If the owner isn’t there, the process is long, and code enforcement is a struggle. I try to nip it in the bud. When registration was required for rental properties, and many people who didn’t have it were brought to court, that brought many people running in to get it.”
Her biggest challenge with code enforcement has been property maintenance.
“With prosecution, safety is first and foremost. If there’s a fire, can people get out? If firefighters go in, can they get out?” she said. “Why have planning board applications? So people don’t die.”
Although land use has been intriguing to Cassidy since she understood the view from her mother’s office, other interests have also compelled her.
“When I was in school, I took part in student government, mock trials and model United Nations,” said Cassidy. “In college, I thought I would be Erin Brockovich, but I became interested in geology and land use. I took a course in disasters, like earthquakes. So I studied government, law and geology. My interest in land use evolved into interest in local laws.”
Asked about her motivations to pursue a new role as town justice, she said, “As a lawyer, you make arguments, and you need to see both sides. My next step is to be judge, weighing both sides.”
As for what Cassidy wants to accomplish if elected, she said, “I would run the court as efficiently as is in my control, with a staggered calendar.”
That may mean having traffic court at 5 p.m. and then landlord cases at 6:30, for example, she said. “I’ll take the bench on time, at 5 p.m., if the calendar calls for that. Communication will be with all parties— litigants, lawyers and police—to make sure they all know about case status and decisions in a timely way,” she said. “Time is a valuable resource.”
She is also concerned about behavior in court.
“I want to make sure the court is respected and civility maintained by counsel and the parties involved,” said Cassidy. “As a lawyer, folks talk over me. People scream and shout. It’s important that people can present their case. From the bench, I can give each an uninterrupted opportunity. I can say gently, ‘Let him finish, please.’ I can stop the discussion if people scream and shout, until they calm down.”
In making decisions on cases, she said, “My job is to apply the law as written. The facts determine whether the judge has discretion. The movement has been toward more judicial discretion. I’ll try each case based on the facts before me and sentencing law.”
Cassidy noted that criminal cases go to the town justice court for arraignment and then either move to county court or stay at the town level. She prosecuted traffic tickets for state police in some of her municipal work. Sentencing guidelines have a range at her discretion.
“The judge may offer a lower fine because of disability or low income,” she said. “A remedial driving course, Alive at 25, may also be an option, or community service, depending on the facts of the case.”
Cassidy also anticipates changing legal approaches to drug cases.
“With decriminalization of marijuana, there will be issues to deal with,” she said. “Drugs can be an insidious burden on the community, so I’ll be sure to take a hard look at drug cases that come before the courts.”
Michael Kelly contributed reporting to this story.
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