GOODBYE AND THANK YOU!

By Susan Dardes, Esquire

Once again, it was my pleasure to get to talk to the people who work in our courthouse and who are dedicated to their job and the welfare of the public. Such was the case when I sat down to speak with our outgoing Court Administrator, Stephen Heckman, who retired from his position on March 31, 2023.

Mr. Heckman, or Steve as most of you know him, has a staff of 30 under his direct supervision and he oversees the following departments: Adult Probation, Juvenile Probation, Domestic Relations, the Youth Center, the Masters Office, Court Reporters and the Law Library. All in all, there are some 500 county employees who report to the heads of these departments, who in turn, report to Mr. Heckman who reports to the President Judge.

to manage murder and capital cases. In 2015, Mr. Heckman ran unsuccessfully for trial Judge in Montgomery County, then came on board to be the Court Administrator in Bucks County. While he has enjoyed the last seven years in the Justice Center, it is time for a change of pace, he said.

When he has more free time, Steve wants to spend it with his wife, Magisterial District Judge Patricia Zaffarano, who is also considering retirement, and hopes to travel around the country with her to some 30 major league baseball stadiums. He also said that he’s looking forward to doing some volunteer work in his community and to improving his golf game.

Steve has orchestrated the delicate task of keeping all the departments aligned; overseeing their technical needs; and working on the new fit out of the fifth floor of the Justice Center, along with budgeting, case flow, and human resource needs.

Steve graduated from Penn State in 1978, and Temple Law School in 1981, then clerked for a Common Pleas judge after taking the Bar, eventually becoming an Assistant District Attorney in Montgomery County. While at Temple, one of his criminal law professors instilled in him a passion to become a prosecutor. After leaving the District Attorney’s office, he became a general practitioner specializing in criminal defense. He also worked part time as a Public Defender, eventually being appointed as the Chief Public Defender in Montgomery County in 2008. While acting as Chief PD, he carved out the homicide unit

So what is going to be the driving force once he is away from the Justice Center come April? Baseball! In all its glorious traditional American forms.

While growing up in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, Steve played a bit of baseball at Pottsville High. He also told me that he has played in a men’s softball league, but it’s not the same as baseball, and he is now happy to be a spectator. Mr. Heckman is a huge fan of the sport and the biggest Phillies fan, ever. (He says he likes football and the Eagles, but baseball is “it” for him.) In fact, on the wall behind his desk is a birthday gift from his brother: a framed picture of the Pennant-winning 1950 Phillies Whiz Kids, with photos of, and autographed by, all the players.

When he has more free time, Steve wants to spend it with his wife, Magisterial District Judge Patricia Zaffarano, who is also considering retirement, and hopes to travel around the country with her to some 30 major league baseball stadiums. He also said that he’s looking forward to doing some volunteer work in his community and to improving his golf game.

Steve’s service as Court Administrator has been a productive and rewarding one. Mr. Heckman assisted the Bench in implementing a new individual criminal court calendar system to replace the former Call of the List system, where all cases were scheduled before one Judge who then took pleas and assigned pleas and trials to other criminal judges. We have, I found out, 6 members of our bench who oversee virtually all of the criminal cases in the county. For decades, there had been no way to program the cases to fairly parcel out the most heinous crimes, such as homicides and the child sexual assault. With the new system, no one judge is burdened with all major felonies on his or her docket. That’s more equitable to the bench and to the defendants, and less stressful and burdensome to staff. He also praised Judge Baldi for his institution of a civil case management system, to expedite the speedy resolution of civil cases.

Mr. Heckman assisted the Bench in implementing a new individual criminal court calendar system to replace the former Call of the List system. With the new system, no one judge is burdened with all major felonies on his or her docket. That’s more equitable to the bench and to the defendants, and less stressful and burdensome to staff.

Steve said that he really enjoyed getting to know and working with our judges, some of whom started their judicial career with Steve at the helm, so to speak. He expressly singled out President Judges Finley and Bateman for their collaborative management style which closely resembles his own. Heckman worked closely with President Judge Bateman when Covid hit in 2020. Since the courts couldn’t shut down completely, many accommodations had to be made involving staffing and scheduling which was a monumental task. No doubt it was a huge adjustment to sustain the workflow of our courthouse and a stressful part of his tenure. Steve credits the Judges and his deputies, assistants and staff for maintaining the public’s access to the court system.

Mr. Heckman will definitely miss both his staff and the bench as he enters the next phase of his life. I have learned that the successor to Mr. Heckman will be Assistant Court Administrator — Senior Legal Review Officer Stephen Watson.

Sounds to me that Steve is leaving his administration in great shape, and attorneys and judges alike wish him well, with thanks and admiration.  just a motto and our financial strength is your best defense.