A new city court judge was sworn in Thursday in Cohoes.
Brett Knowles replaces Francisco Calderon, who this month was elevated to the role of New York State Court of Claims Judge.
Mayor Bill Keeler says Knowles' resume is "very well-rounded."
"Brett M. Knowles was the best of probably 20 candidates that applied and considered they were all they were all good candidates," said Keeler. "They were all attorneys, but I really thought Brett M. Knowles checked a lot of the boxes I was looking for. He's a 2005 graduate of Albany Law School. In fact, he graduated summa cum laude. After that, he did a one-year stint with the New York State Supreme Court, the third appellate division, and for them he did research, wrote some briefs for the justices. And after that, he did nine years as a prosecutor in the Albany County District Attorney's Office, prosecuting misdemeanors and felonies. He did the street crimes unit. He was in the Special Victims Unit. I think after that, he went on to DCJS as a staff attorney for four years. And most recently, the last four years, he's been in assistant counsel with the Division of State Police.”
Keeler, a former New York State Police major, says Knowles came highly recommended by colleagues and former bosses.
Knowles says he believes his experience has prepared him well for the responsibilities of City Court Judge. He was sworn in by Keeler, his family by his side.
"This is a profound moment in my life, and I'm so grateful for the trust and confidence the mayor's placed in me," Knowles said.
Keeler says Knowles is exactly the kind of "fair minded law and order judge" he was looking for.
"There are two sitting judges in the city of Cohoes. In my four years I've appointed three and reappointed one, and a couple of those have moved on to, you know, one the Court of Claims, the other to the New York State Supreme Court. So we've had some excellent judges here in the city of Cohoes, and that is still the case," said Keeler.
Keeler says common councilors help on the advisement side, but the judge is solely the mayor's pick. Knowles wielded the gavel to end the ceremony.
