Warren B. Mikesell II, Esquire, has announced his write-in candidacy for Magisterial District Justice 46-3-02.
The district includes Lawrence Township, all of Clearfield Borough, Pike Township and all of Curwensville Borough in Clearfield County.
Mikesell says, “My parents taught me at a very young age that the right to vote in these United States was extremely important. Just as important is for the voters to have a viable choice of candidates.”
He added that, “Sixty percent of the voters in the primary election voted to maintain an attorney who has actually practiced in the field of law to be the candidate of choice.
“Unfortunately, there were two attorneys running in a field of three candidates. We, two attorneys, spit the 60 percent of the vote, leaving the winner as the non-attorney candidate.”
“The independent voters, due to Pennsylvania being a closed primary state, did not get a chance to vote or weigh in on who they feel is the most qualified candidate for the position of Magisterial District Judge for District 46-3-02.
“I believed then as I believe now that my qualifications for the position are superior to candidate Morris. Candidate Morris now meets the minimum requirements.
“The question for the voters is do they want somebody that meets the minimum standard or do they want somebody who has additional experience that exceeds that.”
Mikesell quoted Mike Holmes from the DIY Network who always says, “Minimum requirements are just that minimum. Would you rather have a structure built with a 2×6, which meets minimum code, or would you prefer one that is built with a 2×10?”
According to Mikesell, as with every structure, everything rests on the foundation. He says his foundation is secure and is built upon the rock of Jesus Christ, and his life and decisions personally and professionally all are based upon Him.
“I believe that Christians also need a moral and ethical choice for their Magistrate. It is time the Christians of this country, and this jurisdiction, turn out and vote to place qualified Christian men and women into places of government,” Mikesell says. “I am announcing my write-in candidacy to give all of the voters another choice.”
Mikesell outlined his qualifications for magistrate. He joined the firm of Mikesell and Mikesell with his father, Donald R. Mikesell, in 1991 after being admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar. He was born the second son of Donald R. Mikesell (originally from Mahaffey) and Anne E. (Blackburn) Mikesell (originally from Curwensville).
He was born and raised in Clearfield with his siblings, Jon Mikesell, Annette Mikesell, Kim Mikesell Colavecchi, Robert (Bob) Mikesell and Janell Mikesell Danielson.
He joined the U.S. Navy upon graduation from the Clearfield Area High School in 1977. He served in the U.S. Navy after high school from September of 1977 until January of 1985.
He attained the rank of Personnelman First Class Petty Officer (PN1/E6) while having been stationed in Keflavick, Iceland, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and the U.S. Naval Submarine Base in Groton, Conn. Prior to his discharge, he served as the base Legal Yeoman at the Personnel Support Detachment in Groton, Conn.
There, he worked directly with Navy and Marine Corp attorneys. He accepted an honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy in 1985 and immediately enrolled in Grove City College in Grove City, where he completed his undergraduate studies, Bachelor of Arts degree, in business administration and economics. He graduated from Grove City College in 1988.
Mikesell then attended The Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle and graduated therefrom in 1991 with a Juris Doctorate degree. While in law school, he served as a Legislative Legal Intern for the Honorable Senator Robert Jubelirer, President Pro Tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate, from May of 1989 to June of 1991.
His duties as a Legislative Legal Intern included drafting legislation, researching legal issues affecting proposed legislative statutes, laws and regulations and attending Senate and House hearings on various legal issues.
He returned to Clearfield where he joined the Clearfield Bar Association and began his practice of law with his father, Donald R. Mikesell, Esquire, who also served as an Administrative Law Judge for Worker s Compensation.
His legal practice includes 25 years of working as a general practitioner in various fields of law as well as both an assistant district attorney and assistant public defender.
He currently serves as an assistant district attorney of Clearfield County under District Attorney William A. Shaw Jr., Esquire. He has also maintained a separate private attorney practice since 1991.
Clients have been provided legal services in various areas including, but not limited to: Estate Planning; Wills, Estates (Probate); Trusts; Personal Injury; Wrongful Death; Divorce; Custody; Family Law; Adoption; Real Estate (Deed transfers, boundary disputes, residential/commercial leases; Title Searches; Mortgages & Refinance Loans; and Coal, Oil and Gas Leases.
In his criminal law career as assistant district attorney as well as an assistant public defender and private defense attorney, he has handled thousands of cases from beginning to end, including preliminary hearings, filing motions and prosecuting and or defending individuals in criminal jury trials.
Mikesell currently serves as an assistant district attorney and has done so for more than a decade. He has been married to Kimberly L. (Witters) Mikesell since 2001.
She currently serves as his legal secretary in the private practice of Mikesell & Mikesell, Attorneys at Law. She was the daughter of Bruce K. Witters and Patricia L. Witters, both of whom are deceased.
His wife worked for J.C. Penney for 30 years before retiring in 2011. Upon retirement, she then assumed the duties of legal secretary at his law firm.
Mikesell has three children to a prior marriage: namely Warren B. Mikesell III of Clearfield; Breann K. Mikesell Kipple and her husband, Adam Kipple of Myrtle Beach, SC; and the late Michael Thomas Mikesell.
He has three wonderful and cherished grandchildren namely: Willoe Ann Mikesell of Clearfield and Jackson Alan Kipple and James Andrew Kipple, both of Myrtle Beach, SC.
As with most people, Mikesell’s parents were a strong influence in his life, instilling in him and his siblings a sense of right from wrong, a strong religious upbringing and an understanding that if you want something in life you have to work for it. His father, Donald R. Mikesell, would take him to his office as a young boy.
There, he began to develop an interest in the legal field. As a young man graduating from Clearfield Area High School, he was unsure of what he wanted to do in life so he joined the U.S. Navy. His interest in the legal field was sparked once again when he assumed the position of the Base Legal Yeoman in Groton, Conn.
Upon his return to Clearfield, he accepted a position as a full-time assistant district attorney under the then District Attorney and now Honorable Judge Fredric J. Ammerman, while maintaining his private practice with his father, Donald R. Mikesell, on nights and weekends.
After two years of full-time duties as an assistant district attorney, he returned to his private practice and began his career as a private defense counsel. He thereafter accepted a position as a part-time assistant public defender while, again, maintaining his private practice.
At the request of then district attorney and now the Honorable Paul E. Cherry, he rejoined the office of the district attorney as a part-time assistant. He currently serves as a part-time assistant district attorney under William A. Shaw, Jr.
Mikesell acknowledges that his successful legal career is owed to not only his wife, his family, friends and clients over the years, but also to numerous attorneys he has worked with in both civil and criminal matters some of which are no longer with us today.
He is a long-time member of the Clearfield Masonic Lodge No. 314. He serves as the solicitor for the P.B. Zentmyer Trust, a charitable trust established for the benefit of children in need of medical treatment for orthopedic type problems.
He also serves as a director on the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation, serving the charitable needs of Clearfield County by investing funds of donors for the benefit of Clearfield County.
He and all of the directors of the CCCF donate their time and experience for the benefit of the charitable organization. They do not accept a fee or salary.
Mikesell is also a member of the Clearfield Bar Association, PA Bar Association, Old Town Sportsman s Club, American Legion, Post No. 6, NRA and VFW.
As a sign of his confirmation of his faith, he was baptized by the Rev. Dr. Duane A. White at the Clearfield Christian Missionary Alliance Church in the presence of the congregation. He and his wife currently attend the Community Baptist Church in Curwensville.
He has a strong belief in God and, as such, his faith is a controlling factor in his life s decisions. In his spare time, he enjoys taking time off from work and spending time in the woods with his wife, Kim, and his grandchildren.
He is an avid hunter. Also, he is a member of the NRA and strongly supports the Second Amendment.
Mikesell looks forward to serving the people of Magisterial District 46-3-02 as its Magisterial District Judge. He will allow his faith, life experiences and 25 years of legal service in this community to guide his decisions.