To the editor:

This is the first time I have written a letter to the editor, but I feel this is a very important issue for the people of the North Country. On Nov. 3, we will be voting to fill two vacant Supreme Court justice positions due to the retirement of Justice David Demarest from St. Lawrence County and Justice David Krogmann from Warren County. Regardless of your political affiliation, I urge you to vote for Mary Farley.

Our judicial district is composed of 11 counties: Schenectady, Saratoga, Warren, Montgomery, Hamilton, Washington, Fulton, Essex, Clinton, Franklin and St. Lawrence. Of those counties, Schenectady and Saratoga combine to make up a staggering 45 percent of the district voting power.

Counties within our district are not guaranteed a resident, elected Supreme Court justice. In fact, this was Franklin County’s situation immediately prior to Supreme Court Justice John Ellis being elected in 2012. During such time, St. Lawrence County’s now-retired Justice Demarest came to our rescue by demanding that he be assigned all Franklin County matters. He did this so his Franklin County neighbors would not have to drive to Schenectady County, which currently has five justices, to have their cases heard. In fact, he drove to us.

Of the four candidates running, Mary Farley, who lives in Gouverneur, is the only one from the North Country. If Mary Farley is unsuccessful, St. Lawrence County will lose its only Supreme Court judgship to Warren or Schenectady counties. This would be a tremendous and costly inconvenience for us and our St. Lawrence County neighbors.

Mary Farley graduated from Syracuse University and Albany Law School. After initially practicing civil law in Albany, she returned to St. Lawrence County where she has served as law clerk under Justice Demarest for the last 21 years. Mary received the highest rating, “Highly Qualified,” by the Third Judicial Department Independent Judicial Election Qualification Commission. She is extremely qualified for this position.

Please join me on Nov. 3 by voting for Mary Farley for Supreme Court justice.

Neil Seymour

Malone