ITHACA, N.Y. — Lansing Town Judge Maura Kennedy-Smith announced her candidacy for Tompkins County judge on Jan. 4 in a written announcement.
If elected, Kennedy-Smith would be the second woman in the county’s history to hold the county judge position. Judge Betty Friedlander, who served for 17 years before retiring in 1993, was the first to be elected.
Since 2019, Kennedy-Smith has been the town justice for Lansing, where she lives with her husband and two children. She also serves as a principal court attorney to Tompkins County Court Judge Joseph R. Cassidy, according to the statement.
The primary election will take place on Tuesday, June 25.
Kennedy-Smith briefly campaigned to be a Tompkins County Court Judge in 2019 but dropped out of the race after reaching an agreement with fellow candidate Scott Miller, a City of Ithaca Court Judge at the time. Miller was then elected to the Tompkins County Court.
The position was just recently vacated by Judge John Rowley, who submitted his letter of resignation, effective March 1, to the Tompkins County Board of Elections on Thursday after sending it to the New York State Unified Court System on Dec. 29, 2023. After 23 years in the position, he made the decision to retire.
Rowley was first elected to the bench in 2001 and was re-elected in 2011. Previously, he sat as a judge for the Ithaca City Court from 1996 to 2000.
Kennedy-Smith has worked on over 3,000 family court cases and has “extensive experience” in felony criminal proceedings, treatment courts and surrogate’s court. She also served on the Tompkins County Treatment Court Team.
Kennedy-Smith earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and attended law school at the New York University School of Law.
Assemblymember Anna Kelles is quoted in the statement in support of Kennedy-Smith, and said she’s “honored” to endorse her to be the next county judge.
“She has unparalleled experience working with Family Court and specialty courts like Integrated Domestic Violence Court, experience that will ensure continuity to a deep commitment to children and families in our county,” she said.
Tompkins County judges are elected to 10-year terms and preside over a caseload predominantly in family law. Kennedy-Smith is quoted in the statement saying she thinks she’ll bring a “fresh and important” perspective to the county court.
“I am running because I care deeply about this community,” Kennedy-Smith said in the statement. “I grew up here and have chosen to raise my children here. If elected, I will continue to give back to the families of our community.”