Trafford council president to seek Penn Township district judge seat

A Trafford borough councilman is hoping to be the next district judge in Penn Township.

Kristopher Cardiff, 43, is seeking to win the seat currently held by District Judge Helen Kistler, who said she will retire at the end of this year when her third six-year term expires.

“I was born and raised here and understand the concerns of our community. As a father to a daughter entering preschool in the fall, I have a vested interest in the environment she will be raised in and the safety of our families has always been my top priority,” Cardiff said.

Cardiff is a registered Republican and until recently served as the vice chairman of the Westmoreland County Republican Committee. He said he will cross file and run in both the Republican and Democratic primaries on May 18. Republican Rebecca Calisti Tyburski, an Westmoreland County assistant district attorney, last month announced her candidacy for the seat.

Cardiff has served as president of Trafford council since 2015.

Cardiff is a member of St. Regis Parish and the NRA. He is a graduate from Norwin High School and attended the computer and information science program at Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center.

He works as a buyer at Hamill Manufacturing in Penn Township.

County court officials last year to proposed shuttering the Penn Township and Mt. Pleasant district judge offices as part of a redistricting plan to eliminate two of the 17 district courts. Officials said the Penn Township court averaged the fewest number of new case filings among all 17 magistrate offices over the last four years.

After intense lobbying from Kistler and municipal leaders, the state Supreme Court rejected the county’s plan and ordered that the Penn Township court remain open. The Mt. Pleasant district court office was closed after the retirement last year of Judge Roger Eckels.