Fran is in his 8^th year serving as the District Attorney of Dauphin County. The Court of Common Pleas appointed him to that position after he served as a deputy district attorney for nearly 23 years, including 14 years as the First Assistant District Attorney. The people of Dauphin County subsequently elected him as District Attorney twice. 

The Supreme Court of the United States recognizes the position of District Attorney as quasi-judicial. The District Attorney makes judicial-like decisions every day. The attorney representing a client must act on behalf of the client. The District Attorney’s decisions must be based on what the law mandates and what is in the public interest.

Making these quasi-judicial decisions is a great preparation for a position as a judge. In the last 60 years, Dauphin County has had only five District Attorneys, including its current one. Fran’s four predecessors were the Honorable LeRoy S. Zimmerman, the Honorable Richard A. Lewis, the Honorable John F. Cherry, and the Honorable Edward M. Marsico, Jr.

The Honorable LeRoy S. Zimmerman served as Dauphin County District Attorney from 1965 until 1980. In 1980, he was elected Attorney General of Pennsylvania, the first person elected to that office. Attorney General Zimmerman served as the chief law enforcement officer of Pennsylvania from 1981 until 1989.

The Honorable Richard A. Lewis served as Dauphin County District Attorney from 1980 until 1994. He had served as a prosecutor in Dauphin County from 1972 through 1994. In 1994, he became a Judge of the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas. The judges of that court twice elected him President Judge and he served two separate five year terms as President Judge. Judge Lewis retired in 2021. He currently serves as a senior judge throughout Pennsylvania.

The Honorable John F. Cherry served as Dauphin County District Attorney from 1994 until 2000. In 2000, he became a Judge of the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas. By election of the judges of that court, he served a term as President Judge of the Court. He retired in 2024 and serves as a senior judge throughout Pennsylvania..

The Honorable Edward M. Marsico, Jr. was the longest serving District Attorney in Dauphin County history. He succeeded Judge Cherry in 2000 and served as District Attorney for 18 years. He currently sits as a criminal court judge. One of his special duties is to supervise RALLY Recovery Court, the drug treatment court. RALLY Recovery Court allows the District Attorney’s Office to divert individuals whose drug dependency has brought them into the criminal justice system. In RALLY Recovery Court, appropriate individuals receive a county sentence with an emphasis on treatment instead of a state prison sentence.

As the District Attorney of Dauphin County, leading an office of 31 prosecutors, 14 detectives, and 8 co-responders, Fran has made quasi-judicial decisions every day. If elected judge, he will have to make similar decisions every day. His work as District Attorney has been great preparation for the bench.