Category: Uncategorized

(1) List your judicial experience (courts and years)
Judge, Butler County Common Pleas Court, General Division, 2015-present. Elected by fellow judges to serve as Administrative Judge of the Butler County Common Pleas Court, General Division, 2019-2020. In addition to regular duties, presided over the Butler County Common Pleas Court, Veterans Treatment Court, 2017-present. This is the first Veterans Treatment Court, at the Common Pleas level, in Butler County history.

(2) What about your non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?
I was admitted to the practice of law in November, 2003. Upon being admitted, I immediately began working as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Butler County. After working for about 4.5 months in the Juvenile Division, I was promoted to the Appellate Division of the prosecutors office. In 2007, after only about 3.5 years in the Appellate Division, I was named the Chief of the Appellate Division for the prosecutor’s office. I remained the Chief of the Appellate Division until I took the bench in February, 2015.

During my tenure at the prosecutor’s office, I was able to argue 10 times before the Supreme Court of Ohio, tried multiple capital murder cases, and was one of only two attorneys in the nation to be awarded the Board of Directors’ Appellate Award for Outstanding Advocacy in Capital Cases in 2011-2012 from The Association of Government Attorneys in Capital Litigation (AGACL).

The experience in the prosecutors office greatly prepared my for my role as a Judge. For example, because the Court of Common Pleas is the trial court, it is important to note that I have successfully tried the most difficult and complex cases that arise in the Common Pleas Court, capital murder cases. Not only are these cases legally complex, but a defendant is given a heightened level of Due Process. It is in these cases where a trial Judge is truly challenged to satisfy their role and ensure justice for all. My experience in prosecuting three capital murder trials, while also being nationally awarded for my work on capital murder cases, will allow me to exceptionally satisfy even the most difficult role that a Judge will have in the criminal justice system. I am uniquely qualified in this way.

(3) Why are you running for this particular court seat?
I am choosing to seek re-election to my judicial seat to have a continued impact on the community, serve the public, and become the first line of defense to the Constitution. All Judges should strictly adhere to and follow the Constitution. This is accomplished when a Judge strictly reads the Constitution without adding, subtracting, or modifying this seminal document. Any Judge that deviates from the Constitution or attempts to change the law to their whims must be reversed.

As a Common Pleas Court Judge, I will serve the public and will strictly protect the Constitution as written. Finally, I wish to continue the work with Veterans. It has been my unique Honor to work with and aid our Veterans, and when re-elected, I will continue this important work.

(1) List your judicial experience (courts and years)
2007 – 2020 Judge, Stark County Court of Common Pleas, General Division; 1994 – 2007 Magistrate, Canton Municipal Court

(2) What about your non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?
25 years experience in private civil litigation practicing family law, personal injury and probate. Also served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Ohio and as a Prosecutor for the City of Alliance.

(3) Why are you running for this particular court seat?
I have truly appreciated the last 13 years that I have served as a Common Pleas Judge, especially my work with Honor Court (a veterans treatment court helping military veterans reclaim their honor, dignity and lives) and the H.O.P.E. Program (Helping Offenders Psychologically and Emotionally–a collaboration of community partners assisting individuals in the criminal justice system with mental illness). I desire to continue this important work on behalf of the citizens of Stark County to ensure the fair administration of justice and to protect our community.

(1) List your judicial experience (courts and years)
Mahoning County Court Judge March 2019 to present

(2) What about your non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?
As a practicing attorney in the Mahoning Valley for 18 years, I bring a wide-ranging skill set and vast courtroom experience to the bench. My multi-county legal practice has allowed me to see how our area courts can run efficiently and justly. Serving as both a public defender (10 years) and acting prosecutor, I understand our criminal justice system from every angle. My civil litigation experience has given me the experience and knowledge of the law that will be needed to hear and decide those civil cases assigned to the County Court.

I have been a trusted member of the bar association having served for 10 years (2 as chairman) on the Trumbull County Ethics Committee, a committee that investigates and holds accountable lawyers who violate ethical rules. I have volunteered hundreds of hours assisting low income and underprivileged clients in the Mahoning Valley who otherwise would not have had access to our legal system. As a Guardian Ad Litem for hundreds of children I served as a voice for children in abuse, neglect and dependency cases. I understand the positive impact our Courts can have on children and families. I have also seen firsthand how the drug epidemic in our community has wreaked havoc on our families. While there is no easy answer to this problem, I have seen and experienced programs that work and those that don’t. I understand our Courts, our areas unique challenges and run a Court that puts integrity and the rule of law at the forefront of all it does.

(3) Why are you running for this particular court seat?
I am married with six children. My wife and I love the Mahoning Valley and we want to see it be a great place to live and raise a family. Having lived in this Valley since a young age, I have seen how corruption and poor decisions by local officials and judges have eroded the public confidence and trust in our government and courts. This is not acceptable to me.

As a Judge it is my goal to bring integrity and a restored trust to the judiciary. Our families and this community deserve a Court that they can trust to always act fairly, impartially and independently. A court that applies the law correctly and that does now bow to political or other pressures.

My Christian faith provides the back drop and foundation of who I am. Honesty, character and integrity are truths that I have been taught from a very young age. I have learned that integrity is not something you say you have, it is something you do. My life’s work reflects a dedication to seeking truth, to seeking what is good and just and seeking what is right. It is for these reasons I am running to remain as Judge of the of the Mahoning County Court.

(1) List your judicial experience (courts and years)
Judicial Experience is as follows: Hearing Officer for Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority 06/2011 to 12/2011 Magistrate for the Medina County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division as Domestic Violence Magistrate from 12/2011 to 10/2015. Magistrate for the Summit County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division, as a General Trial Magistrate from 01/2016 to 12/2018. Magistrate for the Medina County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division, as a General Trial Magistrate from 01/2019 to 12/2019.

(2) What about your non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?
My non-judicial experience is as board member and/or volunteer for organizations which support the community. As a judge is to resolve conflict within the community in which it also lives, I believe that my involvement and support with the following organizations qualifies me to be the judge of a court that resolves “people conflict” (delinquency, abuse, neglect, dependency, truancy, juvenile traffic offenses, marriage, adoption, mental or physical capacity, elderly, land sales, estates, wills) AAUW- Medina Branch Harmony House, Inc. Let’s Make A Difference Leadership Medina County Medina Diversity Project Medina Domestic and Sexual Abuse Coalition Medina Community Police Academy Alumni Association True North Ministry United Way of Medina/Summit County

(3) Why are you running for this particular court seat?
I have a passion for securing the well being of those with whom I share a backyard. The Medina County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile/Probate Court Division presides over cases and matters which most families face at some point in time. I wish to use my education and experience to be a part of the solution, a part of improving a community which protects children and the most vulnerable, strengthens families, and solicits community response to keep us all safe.

(1) List your judicial experience (courts and years)
11+ years as Judge in Sandusky County Court in Clyde (March 2009-present). Accomplishments: * Established OVI and Drug Court Specialized Dockets, the only specialized dockets in Sandusky County * Obtained grants for Specialized Dockets of 0,000 annually; Technology grants through Supreme Court of 10,000 in 2020; ATP grant awarded through the court to local mental health board of 50,000 over two years (2019-2020). * Reorganized administration of court by taking control of finances from the clerk of courts * Collected more than 00,000 of unpaid fines and costs during first year of program (2010) * Eliminated cash bonds for non-violent offenses * Serve on the Commission on Specialized Dockets (advisory organization for Supreme Court administrative staff regarding oversight of specialized dockets in Ohio).

(2) What about your non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?
I have served as a prosecutor, public defender and in private practice. That background provides me with the experience not only to know the law but also the understanding of the impact that the judicial system may have on people who come before the court and on society.

As a felony level prosecutor for 10 years in Sandusky and Seneca Counties, I tried cases ranging from drug offense to murder, represented the interests of the State of Ohio at the appellate level, including in the Supreme Court. I also represented accused offenders as a public defender. That perspective serves me well as a judge now and will continue at the Common Pleas Court.

(3) Why are you running for this particular court seat?
The citizens of Sandusky County need and deserve a judge who has relevant experience to serve in this important role. I practiced at the Common Pleas level exclusively as a prosecutor for 10 years. During my career I tried more than 50 cases to jury verdict (more than 40 felony criminal matters) and represented the state in thousands of cases. I appeared as primary or lead counsel in at least three district courts of appeals and at the Supreme Court of Ohio, where I won reversal of a matter that resulted in reinstatement of a 7-year prison sentence and clarified the law on admissibility of statements made by an accused. I represented both defendants and the state in many serious matters in Common Pleas Court.

I have knowledge of the law and experience in the courtroom as judge, prosecutor and defense attorney and have spent my entire professional career preparing for this position. I will establish a drug court at the felony level to help those who are afflicted with substance use disorders to return to productive lives, reducing their likelihood of those offenders committing future crime. In Clyde we were able to focus resources on those most likely to fail on traditional probation with an evidence-based program with direct accountability to the judge (me). We obtained grant funding for an additional staff member and obtained grant money in conjunction with the local mental health board.

(1) List your judicial experience (courts and years)
I have not previously served as a judge.

(2) What about your non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?
Over the fifteen years, I have advocated strongly for my clients while maintaining civil and amicable relationships with other attorneys, judges, and court personnel. I have represented thousands of people. I’m generally in court three to four days a week. I have studied the law, had jury trials, and appealed cases. I have seen some bad judges. I have also practiced in front of some great judges. Treating people with dignity, courtesy, and respect is the key to being an effective judge. All great judges understand that the courts belong to the people and that the judge is more like a caretaker than an owner of a court. Judges have to make hard decisions, but knowledge of the law is not enough to achieve fair and just results. I have learned that the most important attributes a judge can possess are patience, thoughtfulness, and a deep concern for his fellow human beings. I will bring those attributes to the bench.

(3) Why are you running for this particular court seat?
I’m running for judge because I want to be of service to the people of Greene County. I’m running for this seat because our county needs a change in leadership in our Probate Court. Our county deserves a judge that will not bring meritless lawsuits against the county. Our county deserves a probate judge that knows how to treat people with dignity and respect in his courtroom. I’m running for this particular court seat because I would never allow my immediate family members to represent parties in front of me. I’m running for probate court judge because our county deserves better.

(1) List your judicial experience (courts and years)
I have been Judge of the 8th District Court of Appeals since 1/3/2020. Since becoming an appeals court judge, I have an excellent 100% decision record. I have participated in over 220 judicial decisions with none overturned by the Ohio Supreme Court on appeal.

(2) What about your non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?
I have been a practicing lawyer for over 32 years. I believe my diversity of experience in very sophisticated finance and community development projects for cities and counties as bond counsel which has helped cities and counties to pay bills, provide community services to residents and create jobs has already enabled me to add very tangible value as judge on the 8th District Court of Appeals bench.

Go to my webpage for the very important work that I am doing as a judge on fair sentencing and equal justice. This is something Ohio judges have worked on to enact for over 25 years. As a result of my efforts which have been recognized by bar associations throughout Ohio and by associate justices and the Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, Ohio judges are now on the verge of finally being able to join the 21st century in the use of data to ensure fair sentencing and equal justice in our courts.

My experience as a business, finance and community development lawyer rather than being a trial lawyer has enabled me to be a judge who brings a different perspective to the complexities of our justice system. These perspectives are unique to me and different from any judge currently sitting as well as any candidate for any judicial bench in Cuyahoga County.

(3) Why are you running for this particular court seat?
Quite simply, I want to finish doing the job I started. By measure of none of my opinions being reversed as being incorrect by the Ohio Supreme Court, I am doing excellent work as a judge. Indeed, I could not have a more perfect record as a judge with respect to rendering judicial opinions which is the job of an appeals court judge. My opponent does not have judicial experience and does not possess this track record.

But having a perfect judicial opinion record as a judge is not enough in my opinion. Judges need to do more to build confidence and trust in our judicial system. With my work on the establishment of a statewide criminal sentencing database, I have already started a movement that has brought communities together over the common sense need to give judges and the public information (data) that everyone thinks that we as judges were already collecting – but are not!!!

In addition to a perfect opinion record as a judge, it is these common sense ideas and approaches to justice that I want to leave as my legacy as a judge. I recognize that I sit on the shoulders of many who came before me. I have been blessed to be a judge. I want to continue to add value to Ohioans, to our justice system and to my colleagues on the bench. For example, during my next term I also want to look into appellate standards of review for child custody appeals and plea bargains. My job is simply not finished.

(1) List your judicial experience (courts and years)
I have no judicial experience.

(2) What about your non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?
I have been a practicing trial attorney for over 16 years. During that time I have represented adults, children, parents and been an Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor in the Children and Family Services Unit. My areas of practice include appeals, bankruptcy, probate, adult criminal, juvenile delinquency, private custody, and children’s services cases.

As a trial attorney, I have learned the skills required to prepare a case for trial and identify potential issues for appeal. I have prepared over a dozen appellate briefs and argued those cases before the 8th and 9th District Courts of Appeals. Practicing appellate law provides the opportunity to carefully analyze the law and the actions of the various parties involved in a case. Writing an appellate brief has given me the opportunity to fine tune my legal analysis skills and identify errors that resulted in a potential miscarriage of justice. I bring a wealth of experience and knowledge that will benefit the Court and people of Cuyahoga County. I believe that my experience will bring added depth to the Court.

(3) Why are you running for this particular court seat?
The 8th District Court of Appeals is one of the busiest appellate courts in the state of Ohio. My knowledge and experience will not only add depth to the court but significant experience working with disenfranchised and low-income people who have difficulty access the court system and obtaining justice.

My practice has given me the perspective of plaintiff, defendant, and prosecutor. I believe that running for the 8th District Court of Appeals is the next logical step. It is a court that I practice in and am familiar with how the court operates. At this time, I believe that this is the best way for me to continue to serve the people of Cuyahoga County.

(1) List your judicial experience (courts and years)
Elected to Cleveland Municipal Court in November, 2003. My term began January 1, 2004, Worked as Mental Health Judge, Drug Court Judge and Weed and Seed Judge (federal program assisting ladies in the sex industry to get out by offering drug treatment, GED and other educational opportunities, housing and job training) Elected as judge in November, 2014 to the 8th District Court of Appeals. Term begin February 12, 2015 to February 11, 2021.

(2) What about your non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?
Working as a financial systems analyst allowed me to understand government financial systems since being a judge you must work with budgets. Additionally, I worked as an assistant city prosecutor and deputy director in the criminal division of the clerk of courts. These positions uniquely qualified me for the position as I gained inside knowledge of the court’s operations and procedures. As a prosecutor, I perfected my legal skills and then after leaving the prosecutor’s office, I worked as a defense attorney. I was able to work on both sides as well as learn the administrative process. All of these skills qualifies me to be a judge.

(3) Why are you running for this particular court seat?
I am running to retain my seat as appellate court judge of the 8th district.

(1) List your judicial experience (courts and years)
N/A

(2) What about your non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?
I have 40 plus years of experience in the legal profession. 30 years of that experience has been on the civil side of the legal practice. I have accumulated trial experience in both civil and criminal cases. I have appeared before numerous Administrative Agency tribunals. I have represented clients in the Ohio District Courts of Appeal, The Sixth US Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Ohio Supreme Court. More importantly, a lifetime of living here in Northeast Ohio has taught me the personal values that are important to our community and its citizens. I will listen well. I will try and determine the best arguments for each litigants’ case, and work to help resolve the personal conflicts presented to me. I pledge to use my acquired legal and life skills to the best of my ability each day.

(3) Why are you running for this particular court seat?
I believe that the voters deserve a choice, and I represent a different choice from my opponent. If I had ignored the RPCC invitation to join the ballot, voters in Cuyahoga County would not have that choice.