Cole will seek to replace the retiring Honorable Judge Terrance Parker in the November 2026 election
From Friends of Dawn,
Dawn was raised in Cuba, and graduated from Cuba Central School. She earned her undergraduate degree at Smith College, and her juris doctorate at Indiana University at Bloomington, where she graduated with honors.
Following her admission to the New York State Bar, Dawn served as Court Attorney for the Monroe County Surrogate’s Court. She later returned home to Allegany County in 2009, where she served for a time as the Chief Clerk of the Allegany County Surrogate’s Court before taking on her current role as Court Attorney to the Hon. Terrence M. Parker, whose term ends this year.
Locally, Dawn served as a member of the Almond Town Board from 2011 to 2016, then as Almond Town Supervisor until 2021. She currently serves as the Almond Town Judge, where she has presided over town court matters since 2022. Dawn played a critical role in establishing the Centralized Arraignment Processing (CAP) Court in Allegany County, which has improved the process of initial appearances in criminal arrests, simplifying the process for law enforcement, town justices and counsel. Dawn also serves on the Board of Directors for the Allegany County Area Foundation, where she is currently the chair of the scholarship committee.
As a candidate for county judge, Dawn brings twenty-six years of court experience, working for and with numerous distinguished judges. She has extensive legal experience in the Allegany County Courts, where she has supported our local county court judges in handling criminal, family, estate and civil litigation.
