Matthew Rambo

(1) List your judicial experience (courts and years)
Magistrate – Court of Claims of Ohio, May 2006 – March 2013 Staff Attorney – Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, September 2013 – June 2018

(2) What about your non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?

I would qualify most of my legal experience as “judicial.” I have presided over bench trials as a magistrate, conducted extensive research into complex legal issues, conducted settlement conferences and mediations with parties and counsel, and prepared entries and written legal opinions and decisions for the Court. In private practice, I have represented a myriad of clients and various legal situations: evictions, collections, property damage, breach of contract, fraud. I have also handled litigation in Probate Court and I serve as a certified Guardian Ad Litem in Juvenile Court. Through my experience, I have become well-versed in the rules of evidence and the rules of procedure that govern court proceedings.

(3) Why are you running for this particular court seat?
I am seeking office out of a strong desire to serve the community that I love and in which I have chosen to raise my family, and to do my part to ensure that it remains such as my children grow. I am seeking the bench to restore faith in the Probate/Juvenile Court and return civility to its operation. My desire is to reestablish a position of respect and prominence in the community for the Court, and to foster a return to collaboration with the various stakeholders in Geauga County, including County agencies and elected officials. I will restore fiscal conservatism to the Probate/Juvenile Court. Over the past nine years, spending by the Probate/Juvenile Court has become increasingly wasteful and unmanageable. The Probate/Juvenile Court must return to responsible fiscal habits and be more judicious when spending the precious financial resources entrusted to it through the hard-earned dollars of Geauga County taxpayers. In order to rein in spending, the Court must work cooperatively with the County Commissioners, the Geauga County Prosecutor, the Geauga County Auditor, and the County’s various law enforcement agencies. Additionally, many of the “programs” for Juveniles offered and supported by the Court are duplicative or overlap programs already offered by agencies and entities in the County. The Probate/Juvenile Court should work cooperatively with Ravenwood, the Family First Council, Catholic Charities, and other stakeholders to offer support for Geauga’s families without duplicating efforts. With respect to the Geauga Park District, if elected Judge I will appoint Park Board Commissioners I can trust with backgrounds in conservation, as well as business, to ensure that the Park District maintains its statutory duty to preserve and protect Geauga County’s precious natural resources. After the appointment of such commissioners, I will remove myself from any further direct management of the Geauga Park District except as necessary by law and allow them to operate autonomously.