“I’m not interested in whether you’ve stood with the great; I’m interested in whether you’ve sat with the broken.”

That is a quote that Magisterial District Judge Casimir “Caszy” Kosciolek has tried to keep in mind during his 24-plus years on the bench in east Lansford.

On Dec. 31, Kosciolek officially hung up his black robe, finishing up an honorable career where he served four six-year terms in District Court 56-3-03, which includes the boroughs of Lansford, Nesquehoning and Summit Hill and the townships of East Penn and Mahoning.

“It was truly an honor and a pleasure to serve the residents of Carbon County. It’s a job that where you see people from all walks of life and different life situations, and something that I always tried to do was to treat people with respect and understanding and to listen to what a person had to say,” Kosciolek said.

A resident of Carbon County for most of his life, Kosciolek was a standout basketball, football and baseball athlete at Marian Catholic High School, graduating in 1981. Kosciolek then went on to Massanutten Military Academy in Virginia for a prep year before going on to continue his athletic career in both basketball and football at Bloomsburg University, graduating in 1986 with a criminal justice degree.

Before going into a career in the criminal justice field, Kosciolek continued down the path of athletics, where he pursued his dream of becoming a Major League Baseball umpire, attending the Harry Wendelstedt Umpire School in Daytona, Florida. Kosciolek would then umpire in the Florida State League and New York-Penn League for four years. Upon returning home, Kosciolek would begin his public service in Carbon County, serving as the Work Release and Treatment Director for the Carbon County Prison on West Broadway in Jim Thorpe and was part of the transition team to the now Carbon County Correctional Facility, located in Nesquehoning.

He served in those roles until 1997, where he then moved on and accepted a position as a therapeutic support staff worker with the Carbon-Lehigh Intermediate Unit.

In December of 1998, then Magisterial District Judge Irene Hudasky entered into retirement leaving the District Court 56-3-03 office vacant and a host of people interested in filling the position, including Kosciolek.

“I was in Sharp’s News Agency in Lansford and my good friend Gus Hruska pulled me into his backroom and said in his own words that I should run for ‘Justice of Peace.’ So, I talked to my wife BetteAnne, who has always supported me in everything that I do, and she urged me to take a shot at it as well,” said Kosciolek. “I think 11 people ran in the primary in 1999 and I was able to sweep both sides of the ticket. I wasn’t and I am still not a very political person, so I was a novice at campaigning, so I want to thank Emmett McCall Sr., Bob Crampsie, Bill O’Gurek Sr., and Mike McCall for helping me in that area. They gave me great advice and I followed their lead, and I was able to get elected.”

Kosciolek would then take office in October of 1999 after being appointed by the late Sen. James Rhoades. He won the general election in November, beginning his first six-year term in January of 2000.

“When I came into office, I was really lucky to have a great group of colleagues in Ed Lewis, Bruce Appleton and Paul Hadzick that I could really lean on for support and guidance, and I want to extend my gratitude to those men for guiding me early on in my career,” said Kosciolek.

“I also want to thank my most recent colleagues in Joe Homanko, Bill Kissner and Eric Schrantz. We all worked very well together, and we were always there for each other, and I appreciate their help over the years as well.”

It’s a position that Kosciolek would remain in for the next 24 years and three months - the longest serving magisterial district judge for District Court 56-3-03.

He believes he worked with one of the best staffs in the Carbon County court system.

“If you talk to any magisterial district judge, they will tell you that the staff of the office is the backbone of the operation. My staff has been as valuable as gold to me over the years. They do not have easy jobs and they have many important tasks that they need to perform throughout the day, including many times de-escalating tense situations,” said Kosiolek. “I would like to thank Dawn Orsulak, Donna Peck, Carla Bartelt, Joanne Recla, Tim Wuttke and Coral Steigerwalt for their service over the years. I truly appreciate all that they have done in making our office run efficiently and effectively, and also making me look good.”

Kosciolek’s public service has also stretched far beyond the bench as he has served as an assistant football coach, assistant basketball coach and head basketball coach at many schools throughout the Times News area. Kosciolek served as an assistant football coach at both Marian and Northern Lehigh, assistant basketball coach at Marian, Lehighton and Tamaqua and a head basketball coach at Panther Valley, Lehighton and Tamaqua.

Kosciolek and his wife BetteAnne live in Lake Hauto with their two children Brett and Carly.