Roy Gabbert

I have spent over twenty-eight years as a solo practitioner in the small town of West Union, in Adams County, Ohio. As such, I have spent my legal career solving problems. Tax problems, Real Estate Problems, Probate Estate Problems, Traffic Problems, Misdemeanor Problems, and other life problems have crossed my desk during my legal career. More importantly, this practice has qualified me to be a judge because I have learned to listen with an open ear and think patiently with an open mind in any situation. I have also been a Member of the Adams County Board of Elections for over eight years, including a term as the Chairman of the Adams County Board of Elections. During this time, Ohio has been a swing state in national elections. I have been confronted with highly charged situations, with political tensions and contesting participants with differing opinions. Handling a complex set of facts with contesting political candidates is a fine preparation for the judicial setting of a Judge of the Adams County Court. Abraham Lincoln famously said that “A Lawyer’s Time and Advice are his Stock In Trade.” My life and my legal experience have trained me to seek a genuinely good outcome. Hard work and common sense will be my guide, as they always have been.

The Adams County Court is the judicial portal for the front line of rural America’s addiction problem. It is important to remember that most citizens’ first contact with Appalachia’s opioid and meth problem is the Adams County Court. This could be as the Defendant with the disease of addiction. Or it could be the victim of a crime where an addict has stolen property to finance the disease. The Adams County Court deals with these problems in their rawest and first iteration, when the wounds are the freshest on the body of our community. Such situations as this require hard work, common sense, patience, and open-mindedness from a Judge. I am running for the Adams County Court because I understand that a Judge must first “Do Justice” because we live in a world of right and wrong. A Judge must also “Love Kindness” by treating everyone in the courtroom with courtesy and respect, never ruling based on political division. Finally, a Judge must “Walk Humbly” understanding that legal precedent and the wisdom of our Founding Fathers provide guidance for the jurist. I feel my career and my life have led me to this point; have led me to be prepared for the work; have provided the experience that can be trusted to make good decisions for genuinely good outcomes. What is required of a Judge? The same thing that is required of all of us: Do Justice. Love Kindness. Walk Humbly.