County Judge Hopefuls to Square Off in Primary Election

Four Montgomery County residents are hoping to fill two open seats in the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas in January, but the first step is making it past the Primary Election, in which all of the candidates are cross-filed.

Republican candidates Sharon Giamporcaro and Maureen Coggins will be on the Republican and Democrat ballots, as will Democrats Steven Tolliver and Gail Weilheimer.

Here is a look at the four candidates:

Maureen Coggins of Upper Hanover Township

Maureen Coggins is a Montgomery County attorney with over 20 years of courtroom experience, including eight years as a prosecutor with the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, including serving as chief of the Major Crimes and Special Prosecutions unit.

As the chief of the major crimes unit, Coggins was “responsible for the managing and training of personnel as well as the prosecution and trial litigation of major crimes, including murder and other major felonies,” according to her website.  She “Tried approximately 50 jury trials while handling a case load of two hundred cases at any given time.”

Coggins, who comes “Highly Recommended” by the Montgomery County Bar Association Judiciary Committee, has also served as the Chief Public Defender of Lehigh County, an assistant solicitor for Montgomery County, a volunteer for the Montgomery County Child Advocacy Program (MCAP) and an assistant solicitor for Norristown State Hospital involuntary commitment hearings.

For more on Coggins, who also ran for the position in 2011, visit her website.

Sharon Giamporcaro of Lower Merion Township

Giamporcaro, who has worked in the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office since 1992, is a deputy district attorney in Montgomery County and is chief of the juvenile division of the Montgomery County’s District Attorney’s Office.

“As a supervisor, she oversees all prosecutions in the Juvenile Division and has personally prosecuted many high profile cases in court, including homicides, rape, robbery and child sexual abuse,” according to Giamporcaro’s website.  “She has received awards of commendation from the Montgomery County District Attorney, law enforcement and local community organizations.”

Giamporcaro also served as the Major Crimes Unit Trials Division Assistant District Attorney from 1992 to 1994, and leads the Youth Diversion Program and the Montgomery County School Safety Committee.

In addition to her legal career, Giamporcaro is a registered nurse who worked at Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania.

For more on Giamporcaro, visit her website.

Steven C. Tolliver of Cheltenham

Steven Tolliver is an attorney with 31 years of experience in Montgomery and Philadelphia.

Tolliver has served as a judicial clerk, an assistant city solicitor for Philadelphia, and has practiced in private and corporate law settings, and has  “been involved in the litigation of criminal matters, domestic relations matters, and complex commercial matters such as class actions and antitrust matters,” according to his website.

Tolliver, who has tried cases in State and Federal court, “has also litigated products liability, motor vehicle liability, premises liability, general liability, railroad liability, and professional liability matters,” his website says.

Tolliver founded the Cheltenham Achievers Network, which provides education enrichment for middle school children.  He is also a member of the Central Montgomery County mental Health/Mental Retardation Center, and is a member of the NAACP, and is a hearing committee member of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Disciplinary Board.

For more on Tolliver, visit his website.

Gail Weilheimer, Abington Township

Weilheimer has litigated over 100 jury trials, hundreds of bench trials, and many administrative hearings in criminal and civil court.

Beginning as an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia, Weilheimer currently represents many school districts, municipalities, and the Montgomery County Clerk of Courts.

“In addition to her work as an attorney and professor, Gail has been very involved in her community,” according to Weilheimer’s website, highlighting her four ears as an Abington Township Commissioner, and serving as counsel to the Shapiro/Richards Transition Team in Montgomery County.

For more information on Weilheimer, visit her website.