Office: Barberton Municipal Court
Age: 60
Residence: Copley, OH
Email:judgefish22@gmail.com
Website:
https://www.reelectjudgefish.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ReElectJudgeFish/
Occupation: Judge
Party: Non-Partisan
Education: Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, Double Major in Public Policy and Political Science, Bachelor of Arts, Graduated 1981 University of Akron School of Law, Juris Doctor, Graduated 1984
Work Experience: City of Barberton, Chief Prosecutor/Assistant Law Director, 16 years (1991-2007); City of Norton, Police Legal Advisor/Mayor’s Court Prosecutor, 15 years (1992-2007); Koch and Regal, Private practice attorney, 1990-1993Ohio Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Court Security, 2019-2021; Ohio Supreme Court Judicial College, Education Committee, 2019-present; Ohio Judicial Conference, Community Corrections Committee, 2018-2020; Association of Municipal and County Judges of Ohio, Trustee, 2017-2021; Summit County Criminal Justice Advisory Board, 2012-present; Akron Bar Association, Foundation Fellow; Jewish Family Services (serving the needs of the homebound elderly), Advisory Board (2007-present); Announcer, Copley High School Girls Soccer, (2009-present)
Family: Divorced, two daughters, Dr. Hannah Fish and Dr. Emma Fish
Bar Association Ratings: Excellent, Akron Bar Association (2019), https://youbethejudgesummitcounty.com/
(1) List your judicial experience (courts and years):
Judge, Barberton Municipal Court (2008-present)
(2) What about your non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?
Before I became a Municipal Court Judge almost twelve years ago, I served as a prosecuting attorney for sixteen years. I prosecuted cases for the cities of Green, New Franklin, Clinton, Barberton, and Norton, as well as the townships of Coventry and Copley. In my capacity as prosecutor, I participated in over 3,000 bench and jury trials. I negotiated resolutions in close to 20,000 more cases. Over that time I developed relationships with virtually every law enforcement officer representing the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Summit County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio Division of Natural Resources and Wildlife, Metro Parks and the Barberton, Norton, Copley and New Franklin Police Departments. I also developed good working relationships with countless attorneys from Summit, Stark, Wayne, Portage and Cuyahoga counties. After 28 years serving exclusively in this court’s jurisdiction, I have gained tremendous institutional knowledge of the families and businesses that are the backbone of our communities. I have dealt, oftentimes, with three generations of families as they have come through the court system, understanding their plight and hopefully applying the appropriate resources to correct and change destructive and unhealthy behaviors. As a prosecuting attorney in the Barberton Municipal Court system, I also served as my own appellate division. That meant that I handled all of the appeals that were filed on our cases, mostly in the Ninth District Court of Appeals, but sometimes in the Ohio Supreme Court. It required a comprehensive research and analytical effort in addition to a rigorous brief writing process to prepare the State’s arguments for appellate review. This experience helped me immeasureably when I took the bench twelve years ago as it trained my mind to anticipate and handle the critical evidentiary issues that come before the court on a daily basis. There is no better teacher than experience and repetition. I also took my experience as a prosecuting attorney to the University of Akron, where I served as an Adjunct Professor, teaching Legal Process and Criminal Evidence from 2001-2007. Preparing a semester long curriculum and presenting it to my classes also helped to further hone my communication abilities and powers of explanation, both vital skills that I use daily in court. I believe I came in well trained and qualified for the bench in 2008 after 16 years as a prosecutor and professor. The experience prepared me well.
(3) Why are you running for this particular court seat?
I have been your Municipal Court Judge for the past twelve years and your prosecutor for the sixteen years preceding. I have been dedicated to this community in all respects for 28 years, never once leaving to seek any other office. I have dedicated my life to keeping our communities of Green, Copley, New Franklin, Clinton, Coventry, Norton and Barberton safe while trying to offer a hand up to those in need. I have immersed myself in the issues of mental health (and often co-occurring drug addiction.) I started the first Ohio Supreme Court certified Mental Health court in Barberton in 2015 and continue this life changing specialized docket to this day. As Presiding and Administrative Judge of the Barberton Municipal Court, I am responsible for the court’s annual operating budget and future planning for computer and physical site updates. My work has been recognized by the Ohio Supreme Court as well as the Association of Municipal and County Judges of Ohio (AMCJO). Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor appointed me to serve on the Advisory Committee on Court Security, setting the standards for physical and cyber security for all courts in Ohio. The Ohio Supreme Court Judicial College has also selected me three times the past six years to mentor newly appointed judges as they make the difficult transition to the bench. I was elected by my municipal court colleagues in the AMJCO to serve as a trustee representing their interests in education and legislative outreach. Locally, I serve on the Summit County Criminal Justice Advisory Board, a group of public officials and administrators who meet quarterly to advise the Summit County Executive on criminal justice issues in order to provide guidance and direct policy-making. I also serve on the Jail Capacity sub-committee of that group which meets monthly to co-ordinate sentencing resources in an ever stressed community corrections system. I am passionate about the work of being your Municipal Court judge. As Copley, Green, and New Franklin continue their retail and hotel growth, I pledge to continue to protect our communities. With honesty and integrity, I hope I have rewarded your trust in me the past twelve years on the bench. I respectfully ask for your vote in November to allow me to continue to serve you for another six years.