Candidate for
Judge; Supreme Court; Unexpired Term Ending December 31, 2006

I am running for the Supreme Court of Ohio because I believe I can make a difference. I have represented private citizens in the criminal arena charged with crimes from shoplifting to murder, and in every case, a common thread runs throughout the proceeding. All litigants are looking for fairness, and nothing more. We want our Judges to be fair, impartial, and unbiased.

However, the current method of electing Judges in Ohio is inherently unfair. Judges are required to raise large sums of money to "get their message out"...and I contend this is the wrong message. Money and Judges Do Not Mix. Never Have and Never Will. That is why I have limited individual contributions to $10.00. Political consultants have been quoted in the newspapers as saying my campaign limitations are the equivalent to "political suicide." My response is, so be it. I genuinely believe we have to stop selling seats on the Ohio Supreme Court like you would sell a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. Two years ago, $12-million was spent on two Supreme Court seats, and I say that is wrong. I intend to prove you can win a seat on the Ohio Supreme Court without buying it

I have represented teenagers wrongfully accused of a crime; small businessmen cheated out of their profits; and widows demanding to be paid for the asbestosis death of their husbands. I have done this from the municipal court to the Supreme Court and everywhere in between. I am a trial lawyer who became a Judge. And now I want to be a Supreme Court Justice.

One thing you learn as a lawyer and a Judge is to say what you mean, and mean what you say. I believe our Supreme Court needs more members who say what they mean, in plain English.

Thank you

Bar Association Rating: Available after September 10th.