KEVIN STRYKER

WHEELING – Kevin Stryker said he brings legal knowledge, 40 years of courtroom experience and nearly two years as magistrate in Ohio County to the table as he seeks election to the job in 2024.

Stryker, 70, explained he is running for magistrate “in order to keep the position.”

“Inevitably, people tell me I am good for the magistrate court. And it’s good for me,” he said.

He is running for the District 1 magisterial seat against Chester “Roger” Bise, and the winner in the non-partisan race on May 14 takes office in January 2025.

It was in October 2022 that Ohio County Circuit Judge Michael Olejasz appointed Stryker to the seat vacated by retiring magistrate Charles Murphy. The magistrate term extends through the end of this year.

“I’ve been doing it ever since, and taking it really seriously,” he said. “Our community is filled with troubled people. The community at large is pretty ignorant about that. They see homeless people and they want them to disappear. They aren’t going to disappear.”

He explained there are primarily “two realms” of homeless people – those with mental illness and those affected with substance abuse disorders.

“It’s not about punishment as it is helping people who need help.”

Stryker added that being magistrate has acquainted him “with the damage that is done to the children of the community” through substance abuse.

“Almost every addict we see is somebody’s child, and very often we deal with their mothers and sometimes their fathers. And it’s a killer,” he explained. “Our system has more than enough assets to accomplish saving those with substance abuse disorder and the mentally ill, but it doesn’t.”

Stryker noted what makes him stand out is legal training and 40 years experience in practicing law in Ohio County.

“There have been several positions I’ve held as a practicing attorney that I really, really liked, but this (magistrate position) accomplishes more, so I do like it for that reason,” he said.

Stryker is originally from the Hudson River Valley of New York, but attended the West Virginia University School of Law in Morgantown and later came to Wheeling to be an attorney.

He wrote in his magistrate application letter to Olejasz, “My level-headed experience in the court system, most recently enhanced by training as a mental hygiene commissioner, would honorably serve the Ohio County Magistrate Court in its challenging, complex and critical roles.”