Ripper begins tenure as district judge by swearing in Mowry
PENN TWP — Jack D. Ripper’s first official duty as judge of Pennsylvania Magisterial District 50-3-03 was to officially swear in his old friend, Bert Mowry, to another term on Penn Township’s board of supervisors.
The swearing-in ceremony took place Tuesday morning, Jan. 2, at the Penn Township Municipal Building on Airport Road.
Mowry has served on the Penn Township board of supervisors for 18 years, and he is entering his fourth six-year term. He ran unopposed for his seat in the general election this past November.
Mowry has decades of volunteer experience within Penn Township, serving as coach and manager of the Penn Township Baseball Association and as scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 53. He is also a second-generation township supervisor, following in the footsteps of his late father, Wilbert “Bill” Mowry, who served as a township supervisor for 37 years.
“I am delighted to see Jack Ripper, a former Penn Township police officer, take his talents to the next level as the new district justice,” Mowry said in a statement. “I am honored to have Jack swear me in to my next term as township supervisor.”
Ripper ran for district judge last year when his predecessor, Sue Haggerty, announced her retirement. In the May primary election, Ripper defeated local business owner Christopher Baumann on both the Democratic and Republican ballots.
District 50-3-03 oversees the borough of Saxonburg, along with Buffalo, Clinton, Jefferson, Middlesex, Penn and Winfield townships.
“It’ll be an educational experience, but I hope it goes as planned and we can take care of as many things as we need to and help people out as best we can,” Ripper said.
For the newly elected judge, it was a homecoming of sorts. Before becoming District 3 judge, Ripper served as an officer in the Penn Township Police Department, whose offices are also located in the township’s municipal building.
“It was like nothing’s changed. It’s like being back at work here,” Ripper said.
Ripper, 48, has been involved with law enforcement since the age of 16. Along with the Penn Township Police Department, Ripper has also been employed with Butler County 911, the Lancaster Township Police, Mars Borough Police, and the Knoch School District.
“I’m a little nervous, but hopefully things will go as planned,” Ripper said. “It should be a smooth transition with my background in law for the past 30 years.”
