Sherron said he was urged by members of the community to seek the seat held by the man he called a friend and mentor.
“As an attorney with over 30 years of trial experience in the Middletown Municipal Court and all other courts in the area, and as an acting judge and magistrate, I am fully qualified to serve as your next judge,” he wrote in his release.
Sherron said his family has been involved in the Middletown community for three generations and is “fully committed and uniquely qualified” to be elected to fill out Wall’s final two years of his six-year term.
The filing deadline for the unexpired term for the Middletown Municipal Court judge seat is today by 4 p.m.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Today is the final day for anyone seeking to succeed the late Middletown Municipal Judge Mark Wall to file their candidacy with the Butler County Board of Elections.
As of Monday, four people have taken blank petitions out from the Butler County Board of Elections for the position, but as of Monday only local defense attorney Melynda Cook Howard has returned the paperwork indicating she is going to run.
State law requires petitions for candidacy of a vacated municipal judgeship be filed no later than 10 days following a vacancy. Wall, whose term does not end until December 31, 2019, died Feb. 11.
The Ohio Supreme Court has appointed three retired judges to hear the cases in Wall’s courtroom. Eventually, it’s expected that Ohio Gov. John Kasich will make a temporary appointment for someone to replace Wall until the Nov. 7 election. Since there will be two years remaining on Wall’s term by this November’s election, those final two years must be filled by an election.
The Butler County GOP plans to make a recommendation to Kasich on who should receive the temporary appointment. The person that wins the Nov. 7 election will likely be sworn in as Middletown Municipal judge once the November election results are certified.
The prospective candidates as of Monday, include:
Melynda Cook Howard
“I believe I’m the best candidate to fill his shoes,” she said. “I was lucky enough and honored enough to fill in as an acting judge.”
Cook Howard is one of a few attorneys who had sat in for Wall, and has served as an acting judge since 2008. She also served in one of the rare municipal court jury trials just a couple years ago.
“I think the judicial bug bit me at that time,” she said.
Though petitions are required to be filed by 4 p.m. today for the Nov. 7 general election, Cook Howard said that law “is a little harsh” because Judge Wall was a friend.
“The timing of that makes it pretty bad,” she said. “It forced any candidate to almost immediately determine what they’re going to do.”
She practiced law as Melynda Cook and is the wife of the newly sworn-in Butler County Common Pleas Judge Greg Howard.
Beth Yauch Joseph
Yauch Joseph, who practices under her maiden name Yauch, said she was with Wall when he was appointed to serve the remaining time on the term of Middletown Municipal Court Judge James Alton Comb.
“It was pretty exciting when he got the job,” she said. “He made our city just a wonderful place to be, and I want to continue that.”
Yauch Joseph, who was born and raised in Middletown, took out petitions for the seat anonymously at first. Like Cook Howard, she said the state law made it awkward to seek a seat so soon after Judge Wall died.
“It’s horrible that people are reading about people applying for this seat and the funeral wasn’t over,” she said. “That’s why I chose to pull it anonymously.”
Yauch Joseph said she hopes to receive the appointment from Kasich, and “I will do whatever I need to do to have my name in front of the governor and discuss with him why I’m the right person for this job.”
Terri King
Terri King, who ran for the 8th Congressional District seat last spring, pulled petitions this past Friday. She intends to file them this morning.
“Judge Wall was a great judge,” she said. “He was a great guy, he was very fair and impartial.”
King, who had been a juvenile court magistrate for several years, was born and raised in Middletown. She said she wants to serve the city where she grew up.
“I just want to do something nice to help people and help my city,” said King, who currently lives in Madison Twp.
James Sherron
James Sherron, a Middletown attorney, could not be reached before deadline. However, a person answering calls at his law office said he intended to issue a press release this morning.
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