Democrats capture five of seven Franklin County Municipal Court races

Democrats won five of seven contested races Tuesday night for judgeships on the Franklin County Municipal Court, continuing a trend in which Republicans are becoming an endangered species on the county bench.

Election results: Get the latest, updated results from the Nov. 2 election

Democratic incumbents Jim O'Grady and Cynthia L. Ebner were reelected by wide margins while two Republican judges — Stephanie Mingo and Gina R. Russo — won narrow victories after trailing for most of the night.

A third Republican judge, Michael J. King, was defeated by Democratic challenger Mike McAllister, a Franklin County Juvenile Court magistrate.

In addition to McAllister, the new Democratic judges-elect are Bill Hedrick and Mary Kay Fenlon.

Two incumbent Democrats, Judges Mark Hummer and Eileen Y. Paley, were re-elected without opposition.

Each winner gets a six-year term with an annual salary of $143,701.

Mingo, the incumbent Environmental Court judge, defeated Democratic challenger Scott Kirschman, an assistant Franklin County prosecutor, 52% to 48%.

Russo, appointed to a vacancy on the bench this year by Gov. Mike DeWine, defeated Democratic challenger Rena Shak, a Franklin County public defender, 52% to 48%.

She filed the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Paul Herbert, a Republican.

Mingo was appointed to a vacancy on the bench in December 2018 by outgoing Gov. John Kasich. She was elected in November 2019 to complete the term, then had to run in this election to seek a full term.

"I think Franklin County voters know the difference between justice and politics," she said when asked about her victory in a Democrat-heavy county. "In my race, they steered toward justice."

The results, which are unofficial until certified by the Franklin County Board of Elections in the coming weeks, in the other contested races:

• O'Grady defeated Republican Josh Brown, 60% to 40%

• Ebner defeated Republican Mark J. Miller, 59% to 41%.

• McAllister, a Franklin County Juvenile Court magistrate, defeated King, who had been appointed by DeWine to a vacancy on the bench, 60% to 40%. The vacancy was created by the August 2020 death of longtime Judge H. William Pollitt Jr.

• Hedrick, former lead prosecutor for the Columbus City Attorney's office, defeated Republican Will Ireland, 60% to 40%. Hedrick will take the seat being vacated by Judge Ted Barrows, a member of the bench since 2003, who was prohibited from seeking reelection by a state law that bars anyone from beginning a term for judge after age 70.

• Fenlon, a former lawyer for AT&T, defeated Republican Laura Nesbitt, 53% to 47%. She will fill the seat that has been occupied for the past eight years by Judge David B. Tyack, a Republican, who decided to retire rather than seek re-election.

O'Grady managed to overcome the negative publicity related to settlement payouts in two gender-bias lawsuits, each filed against him by former female court employees, during his current term. A Municipal Court judge since 2011, he had won two previous elections as a Republican, but changed his political affiliation last year.

"Hopefully, voters appreciate that I try to do the best job I can and that I try to create programs to advance the court and the community," he said when asked about his large margin of victory despite the controversy.

Despite settlements of both lawsuits, which alleged that he used vulgar, sexist language around the female employees, causing a hostile workplace, O'Grady continues to deny the allegations.

O'Grady is one of three Franklin County judges who have switched from the Republican to Democratic party in the past two years. All have said their decisions were motivated by concerns about the national direction of the GOP, not the growing dominance of Democrats in the county.

But the challenge of being elected judge in Franklin County as a Republican is clear. Last year, Democrats swept all 10 judicial races on the county ballot, unseating four Republican incumbents in the process.

After the new Municipal Court judges are sworn in, the court will consist of 11 Democrats and four Republicans.

Although judicial races are considered nonpartisan in Ohio general elections and no party affiliations appear on the ballot, political parties endorse and campaign for judicial candidates.

Judges on the court handles misdemeanor and traffic offenses, evictions and small-claims cases involving no more than $15,000.

jfutty@dispatch.com

@johnfutty

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Election 2021: Franklin County judges