VOTE411 Voter Guide

I have over 25 years of award-winning legal and judicial experience.

Before serving the public as a judge for the last 15 years, I was recognized throughout the State of Ohio as a top-rated trial attorney, practicing in the area of complex civil litigation and appeals.

I started my legal career with Scanlon & Gearinger Co., LPA, and then as a partner at Hill Hardman Oldfield, LLC. I represented clients in state and federal courts throughout Ohio, as well as before the Supreme Court of Ohio and the Supreme Court of the United States. The individuals whose causes I undertook suffered age, gender and race discrimination, sustained serious personal injury, and/or unfortunately lost loved ones due to professional or other negligence.

Drawn to helping people in a larger way, I left a successful career as a private attorney to serve as a Magistrate for Judge Elinore Marsh Stormer in the Summit County Common Pleas Court before running for office.

I want to continue the innovative work I’m doing in my regular docket & as Presiding Judge of the Turning Point Program (the Felony Drug Court) which has resulted in a safer and stronger community.

Through my years on the bench, I have spearheaded many initiatives to try & meet all needs – physical, mental, social, emotional, spiritual – for those suffering from the disease of addiction.

I participated in co-founding Y-STRONG, designed to provide participants with access to area YMCA facilities for physical wellness. I also founded Faith in Recovery –a partnership with Love Akron to provide interested participants a spiritual connection along their recovery journey. Also under my leadership, we obtained Summit County’s first specialized docket therapy dog, Tank.

I also teach locally, state-wide and nationally through AllRise, the Supreme Court of Ohio, the Ohio Common Pleas Judges Association, & The University of Akron School of Law because I am committed to our justice system.

One major challenge faced in the Summit County Common Pleas Court is our caseload, which has grown from 8,248 incoming cases in 2020 to 12,280 in 2025. This significant increase requires judges to modify the traditional methods of addressing those we serve, so that we can still operate with transparency, due process and timeliness. A move to staggered scheduling instead of the "everyone appear at 9 am or 1 pm" approach, commitment to flexibility for remote/virtual appearance, and adequately scheduled time to address those who are unfamiliar with the system or who have language or other barriers are some examples.

Another major challenge we face is access to legal services. Approximately 13% of the population in Summit County live below the poverty line. Of the incoming cases in 2025, 7147 were civil in nature. We need to ensure access to justice for those who cannot afford civil legal services & who require advice on evictions, foreclosures and other areas of economic instability.

The judiciary is facing serious challenges from other branches of government, as well as concerted efforts to remove discretion in our decision making, thwart lawful court orders and delegitimate court authority. Attempts to circumvent judicial rulings, or to call them into question through the use of aggressive rhetoric against judges, are on the rise. Pressure on courts to ignore lawful precedent and established rule of law has increased; and hostility (which was previously seen mostly from disgruntled litigants or the media) is now here in the form of attacks by public officials. Courts play a critical role in checking unlawful government action, and this third branch of government - the judicial branch - needs to remain independent to carry out the responsibilities we hold for evidence-based decision making and impartiality. This independent judiciary is essential to protect citizens from abuse of power from any source and needs to be protected by other leaders in power.