he was defeated in the primary election by attorney Gary Gilman, who then went on to win the post in the fall.

At that time, it seemed like the county court would run at full capacity for a substantial period of time.

Then, suddenly, Judge Paul Pozonsky, 56, announced his retirement midsummer after 15 years in office and with five years remaining on his current 10-year term.

Senior judges were called in to pick up some of the heavy workload, especially since Pozonsky handled the majority of the county’s criminal cases and the state seemed unlikely to approve appointment of an interim judge.

The next surprise came in November, when Judge Janet Moschetta Bell said she, too, was opting for retirement after six years on the bench. She will officially leave herjob to confirm a judicial appointment.

“If we carry it out too far, it (an appointment) is not going to be too much help,” said the senator, explaining that the consensus is that an appointee should be an attorney not interested in running for election to the seat this year.

He explained that by the time the appointee took office and got acquainted with his new position, he or she would have only a few months to serve before having to step down.

Solobay said several attorneys have expressed interest in such an appointment, including First Assistant District Attorney Michael Lucas and attorney David DiCarlo, who lost a bid for district attorney in 2011.

Lucas said he is definitely going to be a candidate for one of the open seats. DiCarlo could