Local attorney Daniel J. Nelson has announced that he intends to seek the judgeship being vacated by Michael A. Rudella, the long-time magisterial district judge in Kylertown (46-3-03), Clearfield County.
Nelson, who resides in Decatur Township, is a life-long resident of Clearfield County, being born and raised in Chester Hill Borough. He is the son of Ralph and Sally Nelson of Decatur Township and the grandson of Jean and the late-Elden Nelson of Winburne and the late-Jim and Dorothy Whitehead of Philipsburg.
“This is my home. And I can think of no better privilege than the opportunity to serve the residents of this area, those individuals who helped raise me,” said Nelson.
Nelson graduated in 1997 from the Philipsburg-Osceola Area High School and attended Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, graduating with a bachelors degree in political science and history. He then was admitted to the Thomas M. Cooley Law School—American’s largest law school—on scholarship. Nelson graduated at the top of his class, being elected the Valedictory speaker by his law school class and earning a Juris Doctor (law) degree with honors. While he was in law school, Nelson was also admitted into the master of public administration degree program at Western Michigan University, attending both programs simultaneously. Nelson is an admitted member of the Pennsylvania Bar.
After law school, Nelson returned home. He began his legal career working for the Centre County Court of Common Pleas as a judicial law clerk for then-President Judge Charles C. Brown, Jr., and Judge Thomas King Kistler. Nelson left that position to become the district court administrator of Clearfield County upon his appointment by President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman. Nelson was the youngest court administrator in Pennsylvania at the time of his appointment.
As the court administrator—a position he held for nearly four years—Nelson was responsible for the day-to-day operation and management of the county-wide court system, including the Court of Common Pleas and its four Magisterial District Courts.
“I understand Magisterial District Courts because I was responsible to President Judge and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania for their proper operation,” explained Nelson. “I was directly involved with each magisterial district judge, assisting and supervising them in ever manner of office management, including criminal and civil case management, personnel, financial oversight and budget preparation, and security and continuity of operations. During my tenure, I brought actual change to the way Magisterial District Court operated, like initiating the video-arraignment program, establishing the online citation payment program, and preparing each office for the new MDJS computer system.
“I have been trained completely on the operations of a Magisterial District Court, which is as much a business as it is a court. I know the successes and the challenges of that position—I handled and solved them daily.”
Additionally, he was the court-appointed arraignment officer of the court, which gave him actual experience presiding at formal criminal arraignments. Nelson has served the criminal justice community as the court’s liaison to the Criminal Justice Advisory Board and the Clearfield County Juvenile Crime Coalition.
“My job required me to work daily with every manner of the law enforcement community, including the Clearfield County Sheriff’s Office, the district attorney and his staff, police chiefs from around the county, the Clearfield County Jail, and members of the Pennsylvania State Police.”
Nelson is presently engaged in the private practice of law, joining the Mason Law Office in the summer of 2010. He represents all manner of clients in civil and criminal cases in courts throughout Central Pennsylvania. In addition, Nelson is the municipal solicitor to the Philipsburg Revitalization Corporation.
Nelson is deeply involved in the community. A member of the First Presbyterian Church of Philipsburg, he presently serves as the chairman of its Board of Trustees, on various committees within the church, and has taught its youth Sunday School class for the past six years. He is also a member of the B.P.O. Elks, Philipsburg Lodge #1173, presently serving as its exalted ruler and overseeing its remarkable expansion and the construction of its brand-new $2.3 million facility. Nelson is a member of the Philipsburg Kiwanis Club, the Valley Voices, and a four-gallon blood donor. He is the current president and past treasurer of the Mid-state Literacy Council, the largest provider of adult basic literacy services in Centre and Clearfield Counties. For the past six years, Nelson has served on the Executive Committee of the Moshannon Valley Relay for Life, which raises $60,000 annually for cancer research and was appointed last year to the American Cancer Society’s Volunteer Leadership Council. Finally, he has served the P-O School District as both an appointee to the Act 1-required Tax Study Commission and the District’s Building Committee, charged with undertaking a district-wide facilities evaluation.
Nelson belongs to the following professional groups and societies: the Clearfield County Bar Association, the Centre County Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the Pennsylvania Association of Court Management.
“I am running to be Magisterial District Judge because I am the best qualified individual for the job and the citizens Clearfield County deserve the best. I am the only candidate that, through my legal training and experience as an attorney and a court officer, is ready to hit the ground running and be 100 percent ready on day one. And, if I am given the privilege and opportunity to serve, I promise you—the citizens of Clearfield County—I will devote 110 percent of my time, education, and abilities to making District Court 46-3-03 the best it can be.”
Magisterial District Court 46-3-03 includes the voting precincts of: Chester Hill Borough, Osceola Mills Borough, Wallaceton Borough, Boggs Township, Bradford Township 1st & 2nd, Cooper Township 1st & 2nd, Covington Township, Decatur Township 1st & 2nd, Girard Township, Goshen Township, Graham Township, Karthaus Township, Morris Township 1st & 2nd.
