My Personal Profile (click for my resume here)

As far back as 12th grade, I was hooked on justice. As a senior, I spent a month
shadowing attorneys in the county’s District Attorney’s Office as part of a mentor
program and what I saw changed me forever.

I saw, first hand, the District Attorney at the time try a murder case from jury selection
all the way to the verdict. The trial completely captivated me, the fact that this was the
cornerstone of a civil society.

Prior to that time, I had been considering becoming a police officer but realized that my physique wasn’t quite up to that line of work. During that month in the D.A.’s office I realized the D.A. works closely with the police. I thought that was the next best thing to being a police officer.”

Three decades later, I remain as intrigued, passionate and fascinated as ever by the American legal system and its ability to seek out the truth and to make lives better. Except that after 24 years prosecuting criminals and nine years as the First Assistant District Attorney in Bucks County, I have decided to use that experience and perspective to take on another crucial role of providing justice.

I am running for judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Bucks County. The primary election is May 19 and whether you are a republican or a democrat, you will be able to vote for me.

As a judge, you are always in the business of ensuring that justice is done, which is what I’ve done every single day for 24 years. There have been times when I have had to tell police officers that there is not enough evidence to arrest someone. Nevertheless, I have been an advocate and I have a deep-seated belief in advocating for victims, especially victims of violent crime.

I have had plenty of opportunities to do so. Beyond the numbers – six first-degree murder convictions, I have argued for the death penalty three times. Among my 20 homicide convictions – I have been at the center of several of the highest-profile cases in Bucks County history.

You know the stories because they were splashed all over the national news. Mary Jane Fonder, 65, convicted of murdering a young woman in a church in Upper Bucks County last year; Heidi Tenzer, who murdered William Neff Sr., an Alzheimer’s patient in an assisted living facility in Lower Makefield Township; and Donald Traub, the serial shooter who ultimately murdered a young mother while she loaded groceries into her car in the supermarket parking lot in Warminster.

Yet locking up the criminals isn’t where my job stops. The Neff case was a watershed for me and the county, shining a light on abuse of the elderly. This May marks the sixth year of the annual William J. Neff Sr. Symposium for the Prevention of Crimes against Older Adults, an event in which brings together healthcare professionals and law enforcement personnel. The objective is to train these professionals to identify abuse, to prevent abuse and ultimately report it.

Prior to the intense two-year investigation of Mr. Neff’s death and the trial and convictions that followed, if anyone would have asked me if Bucks County is a safe place for older adults to live in, I would have said, ‘Of course’. But after that conviction, my eyes were opened and I realized that there was a lot of work to be done. We started by establishing The Bucks County Crimes against Older Adults Task Force (www.CrimesAgainstOlderAdultsBucks.org) which investigates crimes, prevents crimes and educates the community about crimes against seniors.”

I also spearheaded the founding of the Bucks County Fraud Alert System in which more than 50,000 residents receive monthly e-mail alerts warning them how to protect themselves against specific scams being perpetrated in Bucks County.

I established and chaired the Bucks County Domestic Violence Fatality Review Commission and created the Bucks County Network against Domestic Abuse in an effort to implement the commission’s recommendations and protect individuals from abusive relationships.

All of this has revolutionized the Bucks County D.A.’s office. Prior to taking over as First Assistant, we were a prosecutorial-oriented office. Now we specialize in crime prevention, we go into schools to talk about computer crimes, we go to senior centers to talk about scams and potential threats to senior’s personal safety. According to the state statistics, Bucks County is the safest county in southeastern Pennsylvania. I’m very proud of being a part of the law enforcement team that makes that happen.

Some of my accomplishments were inspired by personal experiences. I am married with four children. Our 4-year-old son has Down syndrome. Our son suffered several health setbacks at birth and endured an extended stay at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. During that difficult period, I was so impressed by the special caring manner with which the hospital treated the parents of sick children that I decided that the same special caring feeling ought to exist for the relatives and victims of violent crimes in Bucks County.

Thus the NOVA (Network for Victim Assistance), the Doylestown Business Alliance and the D.A.’s office recruited Doylestown restaurateurs to provide complimentary lunches to those victims and relatives who have to endure a jury trial. My idea and leadership resulted in this program being named the Bucks County Victim Support Program. I also created a suite with couches, flat-screen televisions and other amenities in the District Attorney’s office to serve as a safe haven for crime victims during trials.

My experience as the parent of a child with special needs also led me to create an anti-bullying summit in which leaders and educators discussed ways to combat bullying in schools. My goal is to have the second such summit in the fall of 2009 because as the parent of a child with a disability, I’m very concerned that we can nurture our son and build up his self esteem and have success within our household and then all that hard work could be potentially be damaged in an instant. All children should be protected from bullying and education is the key to prevention.

While some of my work will have to be handed off to others to continue in the event that I am elected judge, I also believe that judges need not be as isolated and detached from their communities as they have been in the past. As a judge, I will not be an advocate anymore, but there is a lot of room for partnerships and I think my demonstrated leadership abilities in the past will serve me well on the bench. Judges should serve as mentors for young people. I think judges should be engaged outside of the courtroom as much as the position allows.

I know this campaign won’t be easy because I am taking on both political party bosses. My strong belief is that judicial races should not be partisan because judges should not be partisan. That’s why I’m taking on the two party bosses in Bucks County. I did not receive the political party’s endorsement because in my role as a public servant in the D.A.’s office, it was never appropriate for me to be involved in party politics. How would that have looked if I was actively partisan while I was arresting and convicting township managers and other corrupt politicians from both parties?

One of the greatest compliments I received was when someone asked me, ‘What party are you affiliated with?’ If it’s hard to tell, I’ve done my job in the District Attorney’s office with honor. And that’s what the public should want from a judge, too.

For twenty-four years I have had the honor to battle for you in the trenches of the criminal justice system. I am now asking you to vote for me on May 19th. I promise you that I will be the tough, fair and independent judge who will continue to protect Bucks County.

Thank you for your support.

David Zellis, Candidate for Judge