Candidate Details
- Residence
Upper Arlington - Age
63 - Education
J.D., Capital University Law School, 1986 - Work Experience
Judge, Franklin County Municipal Court since 2010 - Family
Married with 4 children - Affiliations
Columbus Bar Association - Bar Association Ratings
Columbus Bar Association judicial performance poll rating 2021: 4.5 of a possible 5.0
Question 1
List your judicial experience (courts and years)
Judge, Franklin County Municipal Court, elected 2009 and re-elected 2015. Unopposed on 2021 ballot. Magistrate, Franklin County Municipal Court, 1992-2009.
Question 2
What non-judicial legal experience qualifies you to be a judge?
I worked full-time at the Columbus Citizen-Journal newspaper during the 3 1/2 years I was in law school, including a stint my last semester with the school's legal clinic. That perseverance proved to me I could handle a demanding workload. I then was a bailiff from 1986-1992, and also a part-time, night-time traffic court magistrate for the last two of those years. The bailiff job exposed me to virtually every aspect of the court system and the judge who employed me, Richard H. Ferrell, was a conscientious and wise mentor.
Question 3
Why are you running for this particular court seat?
I have enjoyed the job of being a judge. My peers elected me administrative judge of our 15-judge court in 2018 and 2019. Central Ohio lawyers have without exception ranked my job performance positively in periodic bar association evaluations. My health is good. The job is important within the context of a functioning democracy. I respect the importance of it. Citizens who appear before me get a fair hearing.