FREDONIA — The last-minute addition of tables at the swearing in of Michael Sullivan was a good indication of Sullivan’s connection to area families and what led to his subsequent election to the important county position.

Dozens of families, friends and well-wishers packed Fredonia’s Masonic Temple Lodge Sunday to see Sullivan take his oath as Chautauqua County’s Family Court Judge from Judge Walter Drag. Sullivan will begin the year leading the family court system following the retirement of the Hon. Judith Claire. During the event, several children came up to Sullivan for hugs. Referencing family, he gave a nod in his remarks to his own mother and father, seated in the front row, explaining his is “the end of a generation when a father worked and a mother stayed home.”

Expanding on the challenges facing families today, Sullivan reflected on his own experience as a stepfather, and now a grandfather.

“Going through the experience of being a stepfather, and now having my grandson Joshua, I’ve been through the whole spectrum that paints life experiences. That coupled with my education will allow me to make real choices for families in our county and allow me to view how the world is for the people that are in front of me in court,” stated Sullivan.

Sullivan brings a unique set of experience to the bench, in that he has been an integral part of the New York State Child Welfare Court Improvement Project, having been one of only two private practice attorneys to serve on its steering committee. While a state template with recommended best practices was provided to the project, Sullivan noted that currently the project is in a data collection period until March and the committee will have a chance to modify it to fit the needs of families in Chautauqua County.

Chautauqua County families are in a unique position compared with urban families utilizing the court system, according to Sullivan. This is because a rural setting presents a smaller set of treatment options available to parents, and a smaller set of options when it comes to transportation that allow for visitation, mandated treatment appointments and court dates.  He also stated that the nondiscriminatory drug epidemic which is plaguing all areas of the state, not specific to Chautauqua County, presents further issues for the Family Court system.

“It’s tough, but there are people out there that do it. But without transportation, even something as simple as a visitation or a one-hour counseling appointment becomes difficult,” he explained.

As the incoming Family Court judge, Sullivan lists speeding up the process of hearing cases as a goal for his new position, especially as results are reviewed from the Court Improvement Project that may lend to changes that could streamline the process.

He would like families in need of court intervention to know that they should expect the same amount of fairness in hearing their cases, as he has presented from the other side of the bench.

“For families who are fortunate not to have utilized the Family Court process, to them I say ‘God bless you,’ but for the families in our county who are there for visitation and custody issues, or cases of neglect and abuse, I want them to know that everyone will get a fair hearing but not to expect a resolution on the first day into court. Probably, the situation did not develop overnight and the outcome will not be delivered overnight during the pre-trial and trial processes,” he stated.

However, he reiterated, he is hopeful that an outcome of the state improvement project, as well as a fully staffed Family Court system will help expedite cases to the best of the court’s ability. The judge also added that even on Primary Day, he was in the courtroom working with a family who chose not to reschedule because they had waited so long to be heard.

He thanked his supporters, as well as Judge Claire’s staff who will remain in place, especially through a transition process. Currently, he stated, Law Clerk Beverly Unger is busy scheduling cases beginning two weeks from now, and he additionally recognized Anna Wilcox, Brent Sheldon and Rich Newton for a job well done on his campaign, which he described as a “small group.”

Sullivan’s qualifications include serving as the county’s liaison to the Appellate Court’s Attorney for the Child Program for over 20 years and he has practiced law in New York state since 1985. An alumnus of Syracuse University College of Law, he also holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Dayton, Ohio. He serves as a member of the Northern Chautauqua County and Erie County Bar Associations and is also a panel member for the New York State Surrogate Decision Making Committee. Locally, residents will recognize his 25-year service as a member of the Dunkirk-Fredonia Salvation Army Advisory Board, a 14-year run as a member of the SUNY Fredonia College Council and his continued dedication as an active member of Fredonia’s Volunteer Fire Department, which numbers 30 years.

A member of St. Joseph’s Church in Fredonia, he remains a resident of the village along with his wife, Valerie, and grandson, Joshua who witnessed his swearing in on Sunday.