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Wallkill Valley Times, Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Three run for Montgomery Village Justice
By LAURA FITZGERALD
[email protected]
Joe Marrero, A former New York
City police detective and Jack Byrnes,
a former Village of Montgomery police
officer in charge, will face off against
incumbent Tina Fassnacht for her seat
as Village of Montgomery justice in the
March 19 elections.
Polls will be open at the senior center,
36 Bridge Street, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Joe Marrero
If elected, former New York City
Police Department (NYPD) detective Joe
Marrero would make the court room a
welcoming place, decide cases in a fair
manner, and work to adjudicate as many
cases as are warranted.
Marrero said his top priority would be
to create a welcoming courtroom in which
everyone’s voice is heard, and disputes
are settled in a fair and un-biased manner.
“My top priority really is just to let
people know that they shouldn’t be
afraid to come to court,” Marrero said.
“They have a voice in the village in this
courtroom and everybody will be treated
equally and fairly.”
Marrero said he would address
everyone in the court and make sure all
parties know their rights.
“I will make sure that there’re aware of
their rights and they have their witness
testimony or evidence, and if they don’t,
they should get a postponement until they
have that,” Marrero said.
Marrero said his experience in NYPD
investigations involving high-level crimes
allow him to see the big picture, and
he hopes to adjudicate many low-level
crimes or petty disputes.
“If you have a background in crime
you can take things into perspective and
look at the smaller things and try to, if
possible, get things adjudicated,” Marrero
said.
Marrero has conducted a wide variety
of investigations, including street crime,
narcotics, organized crime, homicides,
violent crimes and more.
Marrero has worked in uniform and
as a plain clothes officer, conducted
wiretaps and undercover narcotic buys,
executed search warrants and cultivated
informants.
Marrero said he has learned how to read
people through thousands of interviews
with suspects, witnesses and victims.
“You interview a couple thousand
people over the phone or in person, you
get an idea if people are telling you the
truth or if they’re sincere,” Marrero said.
Joe Marrero Tina Fassnacht
He received numerous awards
during his time in the New York Police
Department, including the New York
Daily News Crime Fighters Award, the
New York Centurion Award (twice),
37 NYPD citations for Excellent Police
Work/Meritorious/Commendations, and
many more. needed for the role, so she won’t need any
training to get up to speed.
“There’s always a learning curb with
every job that you have . . . Obviously the
experience that I’ve had as the judge, I
would continue to gain that experience,”
Fassnacht said.
Fassnacht has been a practicing
attorney for 19 years, a valuable
experience that has taught her everything
about the operations of a court room.
She said her experience as an attorney
is invaluable for her job as village judge.
“I think it’s important to look at both
sides of the case in trying to either settle
or advocate for my client,” Fassnacht
said. “So, I think that has been a benefit
to me when I’m sitting as judge in that
I’m always looking at both sides equally
and what the evidence is that’s being
presented.”
Tina Fassnacht
Incumbent Tina Fassnacht said she
would continue to listen to all parties in
an un-biased manner, making decisions
based on the evidence being presented.
She said the justice’s job isn’t to be the
police or create the laws, but simply to
enforce them in a fair manner.
“The judge’s role is to be there to
balance out the sides. We’re supposed
to be independent, unbiased, so it’s not
our job to be the police. We have to make
sure that the police are doing their job
properly, just as if the people are found to
be guilty to charge them appropriately,”
Fassnacht said. “Being a judge is not
like being the mayor or not like being a
police officer or somebody that would be
responsible for creating laws, we’re just
there to make sure they’re being enforced
properly.”
Fassnacht said the village court serves
an important role as a place for residents
to resolve disputes with an impartial
third party.
Fassnacht served as associate village
judge for four years under judge Andrew
Roepe. Roepe resigned spring of last year,
so Fassnacht stepped in until the special
election.
Fassnacht said her experience as village
judge has taught her the skills and traits
Jack Byrnes
If elected, Jack Byrnes, former Village
of Montgomery Police Officer in Charge,
would examine the revenue gap in the
courts, examine the number of arrests,
and combat the opioid crisis.
Byrnes said the gap in revenue and
expenditures is a major issue. The
projected cost of the court is approximately
$119,000 in the 2018-19 fiscal year and is
projected to collect only $31,000 in fines
and forfeited bail, according to the Village
of Montgomery annual budget.
Byrnes said he would like to discuss the
number of arrests in the village with the
mayor and chief of police. While Byrnes
said there were more arrests while he
was in charge, police records don’t back
that claim.
Jack Brynes
From 2003 to 2007, the last five years
of Byrnes’ tenure, the department had
an average of 103 arrests. From 2008 to
2010, the department had an average of
110 arrests per year.The village justice
also does not have the power to influence
policy or police operations.
Byrnes said he would also combat the
opioid crisis.
“If you’re a drug dealer selling heroin
that’s laced with fentanyl, I believe you
should go to jail,” Byrnes said. “And, if
you’re the user, I believe the court needs
to get you help.”
Byrnes said his experience in the
police department has given him intimate
knowledge of the village and its residents.
“I know most of the people in the
village from over the years, and I know
good people and I know the bad people,”
Byrnes said.
In 2007, the village board demoted
Byrnes from officer in charge to
patrolman after an excessive amount of
absences. Byrnes spent a large amount of
2006 away from work due to health issues
and the start-up of his international
private security business.
Byrnes resigned from the police
department in March 2011 following
Byrnes’ lawsuit settlement against the
village for slander and demotion without
cause.
The department also underwent a
federal investigation for gun sales in 2007
while Byrnes was officer in charge.
Byrnes dismissed the investigation,
which didn’t lead to any charges.
“That was BS,” Byrnes said.