William “Billy” O’Gurek Jr. of Summit Hill, announces his candidacy for the position of judge of Magisterial District Court #56-3-03. The court includes the boroughs of Lansford, Nesquehoning and Summit Hill, East Penn Township, and districts Mahoning and New Mahoning of Mahoning Township.

O’Gurek will seek the Democratic and Republican nominations in the May Primary Election.

“Since I graduated from college and returned to my hometown, I have invested for the past two decades in our church, schools and community to help them to remain successful,” O’Gurek said.

“As a member of borough council, I have always championed the causes of fairness and equality, traits necessary to be a competent district judge. My pledge to residents of District 56-3-03 is to bring the same qualities to the district office.”

A member of the Summit Hill Borough Council for 11 years, O’Gurek is vice president and chairman of the personnel committee, and formerly chaired its police committee.

As the borough’s representative to the Carbon County Council of Governments, he was elected by his peers from neighboring communities in the county to serve as its first vice chairman.

O’Gurek is a member of St. Joseph Parish of the Panther Valley, Summit Hill, where he is a lector, the board of directors of the Bo Tkach Under the Helmet and Hat Foundation, and is a past president of the Panther Valley Irish-American Association.

A 2001 graduate of Marian High School, he received a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2005 from King’s College.

For the past six years, O’Gurek has been an assistant football coach at his alma mater, where he serves as treasurer of the Men of Marian and the Marian Quarterback Club. He is a former coach and umpire in the Summit Hill and Anthracite Little Leagues.

A son of William and Siobhan (O’Donnell) O’Gurek, he works as an auditor of county children & youth departments for the PA Department of the Auditor General, where he previously was a welfare fraud investigator.