I want to share why I believe that my aunt and former legal guardian, Julie Garcia, should be elected for the position of Supreme Court justice in the Fourth Judicial District.

As you know, your political party registration does not dictate who you vote for, you do. Whether you are registered as a Republican, Democrat or independent, you should vote for who you believe will do the best job. I will be voting for my aunt Julie Garcia.

On a professional level, my Aunt Julie was the first woman ever elected district attorney of Essex County. She was also an assistant district attorney in Suffolk and Rennselear counties. In her 20s, my aunt worked at International Paper Company in Ticonderoga and belonged to the union. She always wanted to go to college. She worked several jobs, sometimes up to three jobs at a time, in order to pay for classes. It took her 14 years to get a four-year degree, but she did it! She earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Siena College in 1995. Then she worked her way through law school, graduating from Albany Law School in 1999.

You can review her credentials for yourself at www.julieGforjudge.com or by following her campaign on Facebook.

On a personal level, my Aunt Julie has helped me become the woman I am today. By herself, she raised my younger sister and I for 10 years of our young lives after the death of our mother, her sister, in 2001. Aunt Julie got us into summer camps, the ski club, and school sports and extracurriculars. My aunt treated all of our friends with open arms; to this day, all of our friends still call her “Aunt Julie.” She taught us that a girl, or woman, can do anything she puts her mind to, and that hard work will always pay off. Whenever I am exhausted from work, but have hours of studying to do for school, I look to Aunt Julie for some motivation and she reminds me that it is all worth it. Aunt Julie is my role model, and I know that she would be an honest and fair Supreme Court justice.

Kristen Orr

Plattsburgh