Tamara Mahady hopes to keep district justice seat in the family

A Latrobe lawyer is hoping to keep a potentially vacant district justice seat in the family.

Tamara Mahady, 32, announced this week her intention to run for district judge in the Unity office currently held by her cousin, District Judge Michael Mahady.

Tamara Mahady said her varied law background would help her conduct day-to-day business at the local court office that handles criminal and landlord-tenant complaints, traffic and non-traffic citations and civil matters. She is a defense attorney with the Westmoreland County public defender’s office and previously worked as an assistant counsel with the state Department of Transportation.

“I have represented my community in criminal matters and I have represented my state in civil matters,” she said. “Those two diverse legal roles have prepared me for the exact job of a magisterial district judge, who hears criminal cases one day and civil cases the next day.”

Michael Mahady, 73, has served as a district judge for more than four decades. His seventh six-year term is set to expire in January 2022 and he will reach the state’s mandatory retirement age of 75 later that year. He has not publicly said if he plans to seek another term in office.

Tamara Mahady earned her law degree from Ohio Northern University and has a bachelor’s degree from Seton Hill University.

“Being a magisterial district judge will allow me to combine my criminal and civil legal skills and put them to use in one job,” she said. “Helping people isn’t just my professional goal, it’s my life’s pursuit.”

She is a volunteer with CASA of Westmoreland as a court-appointed advocate for children in the family court system.

Rebecca Salandro, 38, of Unity last month announced her candidacy for the district judge position. She is a criminal justice liaison with the county’s mental health agency.