Egan Among GOP Candidates for Regional Probate Seat

Tuesday's primary will be judgment day for three Republican candidates vying to be the party's Election Day nominee for probate judge.

Ridgefield Probate Judge Joe Egan, Daniel O'Grady, the Probate Judge of Bethel, and Newtown Probate Judge Moira Rodgers all want the position, which will cover their towns and Redding after the system consolidates in 2011.

The victor in the August 10 primary will face off against Democrat Timothy Holian, a Newtown attorney. The term of the office is four years.

The new state-mandated regional Northern Fairfield County Probate Court representing the four communities is slated to open next year and will be housed in Bethel. The state is consolidating its 117 probate courts down into 54. The new district will serve about 78,000 citizens.

Probate courts handle estates, trusts and adoptions as well as well as issues surrounding guardianships and conservatorships. The trio of Republican candidates—Egan, O'Grady and Rodgers—all laud their respective experiences as jurists, their dedication to the position and to the people who will ultimately decide their fate on Tuesday.

Egan, who has been the probate judge of Ridgefield since 1990, recently said he believes his two decades in the position and strong organizational and managerial skills will set him apart from his fellow candidates on Primary Day.

"I think this is a very serious job, and I think qualifications and experience matter," said Egan, who has been attorney for almost 40 years.

In addition to presiding in Ridgefield, Egan has been the backup judge for Norwalk's probate court since 1996. Egan said his time there gives him tremendous insight on how larger courts are run as the consolidation of the four probate courts will create a larger caseload.

Additionally, Egan has long been involved in the National College of Probate Judges and served as the organization's president, making him the second president from Connecticut in its 42-year history.

Rodgers is the most recent of the three candidates to enter her position after winning the Newtown seat during a special election last year.

"I'd like to think of the Probate Court as the people's court, and as a wife, a mother, an attorney and probate judge, I offer a unique prospective among the candidates," she said.

Rodgers believes she is more prepared to face the challenges of the increased caseload than her Republican colleagues based on the population of 26,000 she already serves, which surpasses the populations of both Ridgefield (24,300) and Bethel (18,760). Rodgers was recently endorsed by her predecessor, former Newtown Probate Judge Margot S. Hall, who was forced to retire last year because of her age.

Rodgers also vowed that she would make the position her soul focus and not engage in a private practice of law. (There is no state statute that prohibits a probate judge from engaging in a separate law practice.)

"I believe the position that is paid over $100,000 commands that attention, and I will do just that," she added.

Both Egan and O'Grady say they have always put their duties as probate judge ahead of their respective law practices.

O'Grady, of Bethel, said that his familiarity with the town where the new regional court will be would serve as an asset as the merger and transition period takes place next year.

"For many months, I've been working with state officials and clerks to ensure things go smoothly and that we're well-prepared," he said.

O'Grady has been the probate judge in Bethel since 1991 and says his background as an attorney, working in the private sector and being an integral part of the community lends the appropriate level of experience to oversee the new Northern Fairfield County Probate Court.

"As transitions get into full swing, I pledge to be there full time and will continue to make the job my priority," he said.

"My law office is also across the street from Bethel's probate court and, because of its proximity, I am certainly available to the court at any time," he said. O'Grady added that he has enjoyed the challenges of the position and the ability to help individuals during sensitive moments in their lives.