Jonesville attorney Sara Lisznyai defeated Hillsdale prosecutor Neal Brady by more than 1,000 votes for District Court Judge Tuesday.
“I’m up to the task,” Lisznyai said of her victory. “I’m excited, apprehensive, and I have a great deal of respect for our court system, so the weight of the responsibility is great.”
Lisznyai captured 55 percent of the vote to Brady’s 45 percent.
“She had a network that inspired people to vote and I had a record that inspired people to vote,” Brady said. “People were trying to help me because they believed my character was the person they wanted there, not because I asked them to. That doesn’t always win elections, obviously.”
Despite the wind and rain, more than 41 percent of registered Hillsdale County voters cast their vote Tuesday.
“Wow is right — it was a big turnout,” said Stephenie Kyser, chief deputy clerk for Hillsdale County. “It was probably partially because of the judgeship, and people just want a change.”
According to Wednesday night’s unofficial vote totals, Lisznyai beat Brady for the judge position 6,741 to 5,485.
This being Lisznyai’s first election, she said she can’t name the key to her success but attributes it partially to her campaign strategy.
“It worried me that I didn’t have the name recognition Neal had, so I was careful to make sure that my signs were up for a long time, and I was at as many events as I could be,” Lisznyai said. “On election day, I was looking back thinking, ‘I don’t know what more I could have done,’ and it worked.”
Part of Lisznyai’s strategy included increasing the size of her name on yard signs by shortening the title to “Hillsdale County Judge.” This sparked some controversy amongst voters, but Lisznyai said any such concerns are unfounded.
“I just wanted to make my name as big as possible on the sign,” Lisznyai said. “I didn’t want to step on any toes, and it had nothing to do with any kind of plan for the court.”
Lisznyai said her next step includes figuring out the details of leaving her firm Lisznyai & Associates.
“I have many long-standing clients that have trusted my firm for years, and I pledged that I would leave them in good hands, so it’s a priority to make sure they are,” Lisznyai said.
Also, she is making plans to use her skill set in improving the court by better utilizing time and resources.
“I’m talking to other district court judges to see how things work and bouncing ideas off of Judge Sanderson,” she said. “I have new ideas about how things can be done, but I won’t just come in and start doing things.”
Lisznyai said one change she discussed in her campaign, because it’s a new law she must follow, includes scheduling pre-trial conferences in every civil case.
With two years left in his term, Brady said he will continue to serve the community as a justice-seeking prosecuting attorney.
“At the point my term’s up, I’ll have been working there for 20 years. It’s too early to tell what the future holds for me past 2016,” Brady said. “What I learned from this is that the people of Hillsdale County appreciate the work I’m doing as prosecutor. I met a great deal of people who I didn’t know who said I’ve touched their lives, and that inspires me to keep doing good work.”
Although disappointed with the loss, Brady emphasized to his supporters his thankfulness for their help during his campaign.
Following the race results, Brady posted a thank you on his candidacy Facebook page saying: “There is a November 5th, there always was, and now it’s here. The goal, among other things was to be a better man on this day than the day this journey began. And that I am. I am better because of you. The people I have met, walked with, laughed with, cried with and prayed with. Because of you, I have more courage than I ever had; more faith and a heart that fits many more people.”
Although Brady said he doesn’t “do Facebook,” he felt a public thank you was important.
“That’s what came out of my heart,” he said of the message. “I knew I needed to write at least a few sentences. It was more than a couple sentences, and it needed to be.”
Reflecting on the campaign, Brady said he wouldn’t have changed his strategy and is proud of the way it was conducted.
“We left everything on the field,” Brady said.
After answering several calls of well-wishing supporters, Brady added, “I didn’t have a cell before the race started, so that’s a bonus.”
