Girardi, Karaica seek Lower Valley district judge seat

For the first time in more than 20 years, the Lower Valley magisterial district will have a new judge.

Mitchell Karaica, 50, of Springdale, and Michael Girardi, 37, of Cheswick, are seeking the seat currently held by David Sosovicka. Sosovicka is not seeking reelection to instead pursue senior judge status.

District Court 05-3-03 covers Cheswick, Frazer, Harmar, Springdale and Springdale Township.

The position is a six-year term, and both candidates are cross-filed.

Karaica served as president of Springdale Council and works as a control room operator at Brunot Island Power Station. He started his career 25 years ago with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 29 and has served as a member of the Allegheny County Labor Council for six years.

He said the district judge position and the law always interested him. He said his 20 years of working as a union representative have allowed him to hone skill sets in fact-finding, contract interpretation and problem solving. He said those qualities would transfer well as a district judge.

He said he would bring a “demonstrated passion for serving the community,” along with integrity, humility, dedication, a strong work ethic and an impartial mindset.

Karaica said the district judge’s office is operating pretty well now. If elected, he pledged to have early-morning and/or evening hours, and to look into drug programming and other programs for juveniles who might have gotten in illegal trouble to get them back on track.

Karaica resigned from council in January to focus on the district justice race. For five years, he was the borough’s representative to the Allegheny Valley Joint Sewage Authority. He said he is preregistered for the district judge course in Harrisburg.

Girardi is a practicing attorney and teaches law at Penn State New Kensington. As an attorney, he has dealt with people’s legal issues and has developed a “great ability” to listen to people as they explain their side of a situation.

As a district judge, he said he would be fair, impartial and compassionate, and would make use of his legal education to best serve the district.

Girardi moved to the district from New Kensington in 2013 and has served on Cheswick Council since 2014.

He was council president and resigned from that post earlier this year, as well as his position as commissioner for the Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department where he served since its inception in 2019. He resigned so he could run for district justice.

If elected, Girardi said he will serve in the role full time and maintain early-morning and/or evening hours.

“I have a proven record of community service and a desire to give to our community,” Girardi said.