The Genesee County Magistrates Association elected its first female president this year, Patricia Buczek, a justice in the Town of Alabama.
As president, Buczek will disseminate information that comes down from the New York State Magistrates Association or the Office of Court Administration.
“My goal would be to try to encourage more participation and awareness of changes,” Buczek said. “Whenever there’s a change in legislation, all the judges have to be on board.”
Buczek grew up in Akron and currently works for Oakfield-Alabama High School in the computer lab. She is the webmaster and the yearbook advisor.
In 2004, she became a clerk for the Town of Alabama and later became a judge in 2010 when the judge at the time retired.
She then served as the secretary of the Genesee County Magistrates Association for six years, up until she was nominated as the president-elect. According to the Genesee County Magistrates Association website, there are 33 members currently.
The Genesee County Magistrates Association meets the second Saturday of every month.
Buczek said her job as president is primarily serving as a liaison.
“As the association president, you make sure information is out to everybody,” Buczek said. “You run the meeting and make sure everyone’s training components are taken care of.”
Buczek said a lot of people don’t understand that the job is 24 hours a day, seven days a week. She said she is hoping they will be able to do centralized arraignments, which would help streamline the process.
“I think a lot of people aren’t aware of the components for a town justice,” Buczek said. “We don’t prosecute felonies. We are the initial court. We can do an arraignment for a felony but we can’t prosecute a felony.”
According to the New York State Magistrates Association, they exist to “develop better methods and desirable improvements in the administration of the magistrate’s courts; to promote education and interchange of ideas and experiences of magistrates to that end; and to promote appropriate legislation for these purposes.”
Buczek said the town court is the court closest to the people.
“Your town elects you and that person takes care of your town,” Buczek said. “They are responsible for the justice in that town. I don’t think people remember that or are clear on that as much as they used to be.”
