The City of Bayonne swore in Christopher Patella as their latest municipal court judge yesterday, a position he held early in his career nearly four decades ago between 1987 and 1989.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Mayor Jimmy Davis said the occasion was “a great day for Bayonne” and the oath of office was administered by Hudson County Superior Court Assignment Judge David Katz, who said the Peninsula City has one of the top 10 busiest municipal courts in the state.
During his remarks, Patella recalled being a student at St. Henry’s School in the 1960’s, across the street from what is now City Hall. He said it was “a very long journey to
go 100 yards.”
He also thanked the City of Bayonne for his service as a judge, which he called “a privilege,” later pointing out that 86 percent of people who have a legal experience do so via a municipal court.
Patella further stated that the people have a right to “a fair, courteous, respectful judge,” noting that he spent much of his career doing criminal defense work and many of the offenses reviewed in municipal court are related to mental health issues.
To that end, he said that Bayonne should follow neighboring Jersey City in adopting a mental health court, also suggesting that many family issues would be better served by being resolved in mediation.
Patella indicated that personal philosophy tells him that punishment does not resolve problems, and that if there is punishment, “temper it with kindness.”
He also told the audience on hand that he resolved to become a lawyer following the killing of students at Kent State University in Ohio in 1970 during an anti-war protest, concluding his remarks by saying, “I will not wear a badge. I will wear a heart.”
