John (Jack) Graham has announced that he will be a candidate for Town of Webb Justice and will challenge incumbent Patrick Venetz in the November election.
Graham, a 40-year resident of Old Forge, moved to the area from Whitesboro shortly after returning from Vietnam.
He and his wife, Sharon (Tyler) have two children, Kristy Rubyor of Woodgate and Timothy Graham of Old Forge, two granddaughters and one great grandson.
He is a retired New York State Police Senior Investigator, last stationed in Marcy as the BCI Unit Supervisor.
He served 37 years as a police officer, getting his start as a part-time patrolman for the Town of Inlet.
In 1974, he joined the Town of Webb Police Department as a full-time patrolman and in 1979, he joined the NYS Police starting as a road trooper.
In 1986, Graham was appointed as a Criminal Investigator and later that year was promoted to Sergeant.
In 1994, he was promoted to Senior Investigator in charge of the Marcy Criminal Investigation Unit until his retirement in 2008.
Graham said his longtime working knowledge of the numerous statutes of New York State law, including the Vehicle and Traffic laws, the Criminal Procedure laws, Penal law, along with the Navigation and the Public Health laws gives him an understanding of the numerous cases that would come before him as judge.
“The laws seem to be etched in stone and just black and white—though they are far from that. You need to understand the ‘spirit of the law’ and have knowledge of the numerous interpretations of many of the statues made by our NY State higher courts or in our Federal Courts,” Graham said.
He said he has the basic knowledge of case laws and has experience studying the case laws of any particular statute.
He also feels that he has the very basic knowledge of the civil laws that he would hear, and would look forward to pursuing further educational requirements should he be elected.
Graham said he has solid managerial skills following his past experience as a supervisor of an active investigative unit responsible for investigating over 1200 criminal cases a year.
He has also been cited for his leadership skills in many high profile criminal and murder investigations throughout Oneida County.
But Graham feels his greatest asset in law enforcement is the experience he gained from dealing with people from all walks of life.
“I believe I have the ability to understand their values and morals and can remain open-minded about each individual and case. I feel my first-hand experience would be a great asset to the Town of Webb Courts and to the residents and visitors of this great township,” he said.
In his retirement, Graham continues to work and serve this community. He is currently a member of the Old Forge Fire Department, and is a Captain and driver for the Old Forge Volunteer Ambulance Corp.
He is also an elected Fire Commissioner for the Town of Webb Fire District, a position he said he would have to regrettably resign from if elected Town Justice.
“If elected, I pledge that I will work very hard to insure that everyone coming into our town court will be treated fairly, with an open-mind, and with understanding and respect. In each individual case, there is a very important balance of equality for both the victims and the defendants. And I have the ability to give that attention to every case,” Graham said.
