VALATIE—New York State Magistrates Association (NYSMA) President Jonah Triebwasser, Red Hook Town and Village justice, and Town of Cairo Justice Tanja Sirago, NYSMA executive director, presented 20-year veteran Stuyvesant Town Justice Dr. Carrie A. O’Hare with the prestigious 2020 Magistrate of the Year Award the afternoon of Friday, September 11 at O’Kenny’s Express.
The award recognizes a judge for contributions to the judiciary, as well as for contributions to his/her community. Justice O’Hare has served as president of the Columbia County Magistrates Association (2012 to 2016) and as a director of NYSMA (2013 to 2016).
Her research, “Making a Difference: Judicial Stewards in the Town and Village Courts of New York State” (2009), helped to identify the five traits of a highly-effective judge. Justice O’Hare has presented testimony with NYSMA based on her research to the state Senate and Assembly Judiciary Committees. She has also presented her findings to the Fifth Department Judiciary at Fort Drum.
Recently, she has been researching the history of Town and Village Courts in Columbia County and has presented Perpetual Plaques to eight of the current 21 Town and Village Courts identifying current and past sitting judges and their tenures on the bench as a way of preserving judicial history and recognizing the sacrifices of the families of those who served.
There are 1,872 town and village justices in New York State. Justice O’Hare becomes the fifth female sitting justice to receive the annual Magistrate of the Year award since NYSMA began presenting the award.