Dec. 18, 2009
Judicial Panel Accepting Applications to Fill Vacancy on Holmes County Common Pleas Court
The Ohio Judicial Appointments Recommendation Panel is currently accepting applications to fill a vacant seat on the Holmes County Common Pleas Court.
The seat will become vacant on Jan. 29, 2010, due to the retirement of Judge Thomas White.
Applicants for the Holmes County Common Pleas Court position must be a resident and registered elector of Holmes County and not yet 70 years old on the day they begin their duties, as dictated by Ohio law. In addition, they must be admitted to practice law in Ohio and have maintained their legal license for six years prior to assuming the judicial post or served as a judge of a court of record in any jurisdiction in the United States.
To continue service in the position, the appointee must run in the November 2010 general election.
In the case of all judicial vacancies, applicants must follow the guidelines set forth by the Ohio Judicial Appointments Recommendation Panel to ensure their eligibility for appointment.
Applications must be submitted directly to the judicial panel and will then be distributed to the at-large and regional panel members. Additional details about OJARP and the application process can be found on the OJARP Web site at www.ojarp.org.
All materials submitted by applicants for a judicial vacancy will be considered public record under Ohio law. Applicant communication with panel members must be directed to the entire panel; all attempts to contact or influence a panel member are prohibited. Applicant questions and concerns should be addressed to Kent Markus or Jeff Ruppert in the Governor’s Office at 614.466.3555.
Applications for the Holmes County Court of Common Pleas appointment must be received by 5 p.m. on January 19.
Candidates must be available to interview in person on January 29 in Columbus. Individual candidate times and interview locations will be determined at a later date.
Governor Strickland has selected the following individuals to serve on the regional
panel for the current Holmes County vacancy:
Shasta Mast – executive director, Holmes County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau
Roger Estill – sergeant detective, Millersburg Police Department
Samuel M. Steimel – attorney, Steimel Law Office
Brian Thomas – retired educator, Hiland High School
Georgianna Cool – chair, Holmes County Board of Election; volunteer director, Westfork Community and Senior Center
Arlene Radden – director, Holmes County District Library
At-large panel members:
Janet E. Jackson (panel chair) - president and CEO of United Way of Central Ohio
Meg Flack – president of the board, the Ohio League of Women Voters
Derric D. McDonald – patrol officer, Dayton Police Department
Doloris Learmonth - managing partner, Peck Shaffer and Williams LLP in Cincinnati
Joy Malek Oldfield - partner, Hill Hardman Oldfield, LLC
Mike Miller - of counsel, Kegler, Brown Hill and Ritter; former Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney