Candidate for
Judge; Magisterial District Court; District 38-1-01

Jim Lewis was born in Camden, New Jersey on December 31, 1953. In 1954, along with his parents, Jim and Janet Lewis, and his sister Kathy, were one of the first families to move into the DeKalb Manor development of East Norriton Township. Jim attended Saint Helena's School in Center Square and later transferred to Saint Titus School in East Norriton. He graduated from Bishop Kenrick High School in 1971 and was accepted at the University of Notre Dame in November 1970 where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 1975.

From a young age, Jim has shown leadership in serving his community. At Bishop Kenrick, he served as vice-president of Student Council and was an inductee in the National Honor Society in his junior year. At Notre Dame, he was the campus organizer of the South Bend Big Brothers and Big Sisters organization. During his spring break in 1974, he traveled to Baltimore, Maryland to participate in a local criminal justice/prison reform conference.

In June 1976, he began work as a child care counselor at the Montgomery Hall juvenile detention center on Port Indian Road and continued his career when the center moved to its new location, the Montgomery County Youth Center, adjacent to the old center in 1976. His calm demeanor and level-headed thinking in cooperation with other workers was essential in a world where the unpredictable behavior of incarcerated teenagers was always a significant concern. He thwarted the escape of four juveniles on two separate occasions, despite being assaulted and injured during their escape attempts. His observation skills and interpersonal relationship skills helped in many instances to deter individuals and groups from self-destructive behavior.

In October 1978, he was promoted to detention caseworker where he was responsible for intake interviews for juveniles who were admitted by police departments, juvenile probation officers, and the juvenile court. In addition, he prepared behavioral reports and recommendations to the Juvenile Court Judge for the disposition hearings of juveniles.

In September 1980, he was asked by the Norristown Area School District to interview for the position of Home and School Visitor. At this time, he was enrolled at West Chester State University in their counselor education program. In addition to receiving his Pennsylvania certification as a guidance counselor, he also completed his certification as a Pennsylvania Department of Education- certified Home and School Visitor.

At the school district, Jim has served as an enforcement officer regarding the school attendance of students by investigating excessive absences from school, citing students and parents for failure to attend school, investigating illegal residency cases within the school district, and reporting cases of abuse and neglect to the Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth and the Pennsylvania Childline.

Jim also serves as an advocate for students and families who have become homeless under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Student Act (1987) and serves as the liaison for students residing in shelters within the Norristown Area School District and provides in-service training and legal interpretation to NASD staff members.

Jim is running for the position of Magisterial Judge in District 38-1-01 in order to assist our township law enforcement agencies and citizens in the consistent application of the law in traffic, criminal and civil cases within the court's jurisdiction. The safety of residents and visitors to East and West Norriton Townships is important to Jim and is paramount to our neighborhoods, schools, job sites, commercial businesses, recreational areas and our highways and streets. As Magisterial Judge, Jim will be a visible presence in both communities and within our schools, public and private, if requested. He will continue to participate in county-wide meetings regarding the role of the courts in communities and schools.

Jim and his wife, Denise, the principal of Our Lady of Grace School in Bucks County, and their sons, Jimmy and Bobby, students at Pope John Paul II High School, reside in East Norriton Township.