New York State Magistrates Association 2022-2023 Officers & Directors

President

Judge Young has been a justice in the Town of East Otto since January of 2000. Judge Young currently is the President of the Cattaraugus County Magistrates
Association, a position that he has held since 2009. Judge Young has previously served as Director for NYSMA from 2013 to 2016, 3rd Vice President from 2017 to 2018, 2nd Vice President from 2018 to 2019, 1st Vice President from 2019 to 2021 and President Elect from 2021-2022. He is a graduate of State University College at Buffalo, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications. Judge Young retired from his position as Legal Investigator for the Buffalo Sewer
Authority in April of 2014. In 2021 he earned his Merchant Mariner credentials to allow him to be a licensed charter captain in Lake Erie.

President Elect

Hon. Kenneth Ohi Johnsen – Town Justice, Day

Judge Kenneth “Ohi” Johnsen has been the Town Justice for the Town of Day (Saratoga County) for 15 years, and ran his 4th uncontested election in November of 2019. He was first elected to the position in 2007, at 34 years of age. Ohi grew up in Webster, NY (Monroe County), and graduated from Webster High School in 1991. He then attended the University at Buffalo from 1991 to 1996 where he majored in International Studies and Spanish. In 1996 Ohi moved to Montana and worked as the Security Coordinator for the Big Sky Ski Resort. He spent his next few summers back in the Adirondacks, working as an ACA
certified whitewater kayaking instructor, and DEC licensed whitewater rafting guide. In the spring of 1998 Ohi became a Montana Highway Patrol
Officer (State Trooper). It was an amazing job with a terrific agency, but he left that job in 2001 to return to New York and be closer to family.
Upon his return to NY, he applied to the New York State Police, and was accepted to begin the NYSP Academy for the January 2002 class. Unfortunately, he had to take a deferment for that academy class. During his deferment, his youngest brother Toby was fighting terminal cancer. Toby passed away
on April 9th, 2003, leaving behind a wife, a 7 year old daughter, and a soon to be born son. Thankfully, Judge Johnsen is blessed to have them close by to this day. In 2011 Ohi went back to school at SUNY Empire State College for a Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice, focusing on Homeland Security and Counter-terrorism. Although working full time, he also took course work full time and graduated in February of 2014. Judge Johnsen served from 2013-2016 as the Saratoga County Magistrates Association Vice President, and served as a NYSMA Director from 2014-17. He then filled a Director’s vacancy on the board from June 2018 to September 2018. In 2018 at our annual conference, Judge Johnsen successfully ran from the floor for the 3rd Vice President’s position. In
2019, he was elected as the 2nd Vice President of NYSMA, a position he held for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He was elected as the 1st Vice President at the 2021 annual conference in Niagara Falls, NY. On November 1st, 2022 at the annual NYSMA conference
in Saratoga Springs, NY, Judge Johnsen was unanimously elected as the 2022/23 President Elect.

Vice Presidents

1st – Hon. Thomas J. Sheeran – Town Justice, Lewiston

Hon. Thomas J. Sheeran is Town Justice in the Western New York community of Lewiston. Judge Sheeran is a native of Katonah in the Town of Bedford. He
received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Ithaca College, a Master’s degree from Niagara University and a doctorate from the State University of New
York at Buffalo. Elected Town Justice in 1992, Judge Sheeran has been re-elected every four years and is currently in his eighth term. A longtime member of the Faculty of Education at Niagara University, Judge Sheeran is the author of dozens of articles, books and monographs, and has presented papers and
workshops across the U.S., Canada, and Asia. He is a member or fellow of many professional education and judicial societies and has served in various capacities in the Niagara County Magistrate’s Association. Judge Sheeran has served as a member of the senior faculty for the New York State Judicial Institute’s Continuing Education program for Town and Village Justices presenting programs in various venues across the State. In 2008, Judge Sheeran was appointed by the Chief Administrative Judge to the Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics. Additionally, Judge Sheeran has served as a Director and officer of the New York State
Magistrate’s Association, having recently completed a term as Association third Vice President. In the most recent Annual Meeting of the Magistrate’s Association, Sheeran was elected to the position of first Vice-President. Judge Sheeran has been married to his wife Maureen for 51 years, has two children, Meaghan and Brendan and two grandchildren, Jack and Rian.

2nd  – Hon. Susan Sullivan Bisceglia – Town Justice, LaGrange

3rd  – Hon. David Kozyra – Town Justice, Marcy

Treasurer

Secretary / Executive Director

Tanja Sirago was a chief court clerk for six years prior to being elected town justice in 2008 for the Cairo Town Court. She is married to her husband Vinny for 35 years, enjoys traveling and spending time with her children and two grandchildren.

Directors

Hon. David M. Brockway - Village Justice, Horseheads
Hon. William Franks - Town Justice,  Stoney Point
Hon. Ronald W. Meister - Town Justice, Mamaroneck
Hon. Albert E. Raymond - Town Justice, Berne

Hon. Michael A. Fedish - Town Justice, Chenango
Hon. Donald Nipper - Town Justice, Palermo
Hon. Deborah A. Stritzel - Town Justice, Williamson
Hon. Gregory P. Thomas - Town Justice, Union / Village Justice Johnson City

Immediate Past President