HUDSON — Columbia County Social Services Commissioner Robert Gibson tossed his hat into the ring for Columbia County Judge, he announced Tuesday.
His announcement sets up a potential matchup between Gibson, a Republican, and Hudson attorney Michael C. Howard, who is seeking the Democratic Party nomination.
Gibson is an attorney with a practice in Kinderhook. He was raised in Columbia County and has been a practicing attorney since 2000.
“I’m running for county judge to bring my decades of experience and lifetime of community service to work for every citizen of Columbia County,” Gibson said Tuesday. “From representing children, to prosecuting dangerous criminals as an Assistant District Attorney, to helping our most vulnerable citizens as commissioner of Social Services, my wide and varied background has prepared me well for this important position of trust.”
As commissioner since 2017, Gibson oversees a $38 million budget and 140 staff. From 2014 to 2017, Gibson served as counsel to the Social Services Department. In these roles he has overseen the prosecution of child abuse and neglect cases.
“Keeping the children and families of Columbia County safe has been my top priority for many years,” Gibson said. “The role of commissioner has given me greater insight into the struggles that many of our less fortunate citizens face, including those suffering with mental illness. Mental illness and addiction have placed a heavy burden on our community, law enforcement and Emergency Management System and this has directly affected the criminal justice system.”
Early in his career, Gibson served as a prosecutor with the Columbia County District Attorney’s Office. During his time there, he handled serious criminal matters including grand jury presentments, domestic violence and sex abuse cases and various misdemeanor prosecutions in several town and village courts in the county.
Gibson also served as the District Attorney’s representative on the Columbia County Treatment Court, an alternative to traditional prosecution for alcohol and substance users.
“As a former prosecutor, I gained important experience in handling serious criminal matters, including grand jury presentments, domestic violence and sex abuse cases,” he said. “But I also focused on rehabilitation and compassion as the District Attorney’s representative on the Columbia County Treatment Court.”
“If elected as county judge, my main goal will be ensuring that every individual who comes into the courtroom is treated with respect and an open mind, and all parties are heard with impartiality and fairness,” Gibson added.
Two Columbia County judgeships will be on the ballot due to the pending retirements of sitting judges Jonathan D. Nichols and Richard M. Koweek.
“It is humbling, to say the least, to aspire to follow in the footsteps of two of the finest judges that Columbia County has ever known,” Gibson said.
Election Day is Nov. 7, 2023.