Three seek Monroe Village Justice post

| 21 Feb 2012 | 05:14

Monroe - Forrest Strauss, who was appointed to the Monroe bench when the position was created last summer, faces Christopher Napolitano and Christine Wienberg next Tuesday in the contest for village justice. Each candidate for village justice was asked for their thoughts about the value of having a village court, considering the expense. Again, the candidates are listed in alphabetical order: n Christopher Napolitano, running with the Justice for Monroe Party, is a 17-year resident of Monroe, married with four children. He is a 22-year veteran of the NYPD as a commanding officer of investigative units. Napolitano said having a village court is very positive but deferred comment, stating, “There is nothing to compare to as of yet.” n Forrest Strauss, running with the Judicial Integrity Party, is an 11-year resident of Monroe, and married with two children. He has been an attorney for 19 years and has incorporated the new village court as its first justice. “I think it vital that a municipality retain control over what happens within its borders,” he said. “It has cost the Village of Monroe nothing to regain home rule control over quality of life, the protection of its citizens from criminal activity, and the enforcement of its own laws within its borders.” n Christine Wienberg, running with the Justice Party, is a 13-year resident of Monroe, and is married with three children. She is the Harriman Village Justice and a practicing attorney. “It is not the role of the judiciary to determine the need or financial value of a court, but rather it is the role of the governmental body who decided to re-institute the village court,” she said. “The judge’s role is to enforce state and local laws while applying the appropriate fines or decisions.”