Bogle unopposed for Valley Stream village justice

One man has been a fixture on the bench for a quarter-century in Valley Stream. Judge Robert Bogle is completing his sixth term as village justice, and running unopposed on the United Community Party ticket for his seventh.

Bogle was appointed village justice in 1988 and won his first election the following year. “I love the job,” he said about why he is running for re-election. “It is the village that I grew up in. I enjoy the idea of giving back to my community.”

His court brings in about $1.75 million each year in revenue, one of the highest grossing village courts in the state. Bogle said it is important to be proactive as a village justice. He said the position is so much more than just coming to work, sitting on the bench for a few hours and going home.

That’s why Bogle is always looking for new initiatives. He said Valley Stream was the first court in New York State to accept credit card payments for fines. A ticket amnesty program every few years, including this past winter, gives drivers the chance to clear up old tickets without the late penalties while bringing in money for the village. And recently, he added a full-time employee to his court staff who speaks Spanish.

One of Bogle’s favorite parts about being a judge is when he invites the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts to participate on court night. He invites the scouts to sit up right on the bench with him and learn about court proceedings.

Bogle himself is active with the scouts as Assistant Scoutmaster for Valley Stream Troop 116. Both of his sons, James and Robert, are Eagle Scouts.

Professionally, Bogle is a chief court attorney for the Nassau County Criminal Court system. He also teaches law as an adjunct professor at C.W. Post and is the author of nine legal textbooks, including one about village, town and district courts in New York state.

As a judge, quality of life issues are important to Bogle. He said his goal is to minimize the “little annoyances” in the neighborhood and make sure that violations are corrected. He said he believes in giving people a conditional discharge — a lower fine in exchange for giving the village the power to follow-up for two years to make sure a problem isn’t being repeated.

“I always think of the person who’s living next door to this,” he said about the quality of life cases he hears.

Bogle said his goal is to continue to modernize the court. He noted that the village will soon have handheld electronic devices to produce tickets, eliminating handwriting errors that often leads to the dismissal of tickets.

The lifelong resident of Valley Stream says that village justice is one position where experience truly counts. And he said he wants to continue to share his experience as the community’s judge for another four years. “The opportunity to serve is something that I’ll always appreciate,” he said.

About Robert

United Community Party

Age: 52

Family: Wife, Kathleen; sons James and Robert

Career: Chief court attorney for Nassau County Court law department; Valley Stream village justice for 25 years; Acting city court judge in the City of Long Beach; Adjunct professor of law and criminal justice at C.W. Post; Former Nassau County attorney for major litigation; Former law secretary to the supervising criminal court judge of Nassau County Courts

Education: Niagara University, Bachelor’s degree; Hofstra University School of Law, juris doctorate

Other: Officer, Father Thomas F.B. Carroll Knights of Columbus; Assistant scoutmaster, Boy Scout Troop 116; New York State magistrate of the year; Nassau County magistrate of the year