Peck Yakopec, Zellers to vie for district judge seat

Vandergrift attorney Leslie Uncapher Zellers and Cheryl Peck Yakopec, the incumbent judge, will again appear on the ballot for magisterial district justice in northwestern Westmoreland County.

Magisterial District 10-1-04 includes Lower Burrell, Upper Burrell, Allegheny Township, Vandergrift, Hyde Park, East Vandergrift, West Leechburg and Oklahoma Borough.

In the May primary, Peck Yakopec, 71, of Lower Burrell captured the Democratic nomination while Zellers, 57, of Allegheny Township secured the Republican nomination. Both candidates cross-filed; judicial elections are nonpartisan.

Peck Yakopec is seeking her sixth term on the bench. She has been a judge for more than 25 years and previously worked as a public defender. She touted her experience, knowledge of the law, and fairness and efficiency in the courtroom. She has presided over 90,000 cases as a district judge, she said.

“They know what they get with me. I’ve been their judge for 29 years, and if they’ve been in front of me, they know that I am fair,” Peck Yakopec said.

Zellers started her career in the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office and entered private practice in 1997 at Uncapher Uncapher & Fox in Vandergrift. She also works as a court-appointed attorney representing the interests of children and previously was a judicial law clerk in the county’s Court of Common Pleas.

“I will be tough on crime, but I will be fair to all litigants,” Zellers said.

Peck Yakopec said that, if reelected, she would turn 75 a couple of years into her six-year term. She said that she would certify as a senior judge to complete the rest of her term, which is routine for judges in similar positions. Zellers said senior judges are not meant to serve full time and can fill in for judges during vacancies or to help relieve a backlog of cases.

Peck Yakopec said she is dedicated to the community and that she brings a lot of knowledge and experience to the position.

“I love talking to people and hearing both sides of the case, listening to both the facts and the circumstances of the case and making a fair and judicial decision,” Peck Yakopec said.

Zellers said her years practicing law, as well as a desire to serve in the community and a history of doing so, make her the right choice for the job.

“I have the experience, the qualifications and the judicial temperament to serve as judge,” Zellers said.