The women’s caucus of the Geauga County Democratic Party hosted three judicial candidates running on the Nov. 6 ballot at its Aug. 16 meeting held in Newbury Township.
Attendees contributed a total of more than $500 to the party’s judicial fund.
The candidates, including Mary Jane Trapp and Matthew Rambo, both residents of Russell Township, and Darya Klammer, a resident of Lake County, educated attendees on the various courts that operate in the local and state government.
Trapp and Klammer are running for open seats on the 11th District Court of Appeals, which covers portions of five counties, including Geauga.
Rambo is running for an open seat on the Geauga County Common Pleas Court bench.
“From the local mayor’s court to the Ohio Supreme Court, the judiciary is the least understood branch of government,“ said Trapp, a former two-term 11th District appellate judge who wants to return to the bench after a hiatus of working in private practice.
Trapp said the lack of knowledge about the courts is unfortunate because the judges the public elect make important decisions that could directly affect their lives.
“I’m running for the bench again because, while doing pro-bono work for Catholic Charities, I met a woman who reminded me that I can help only one person at a time as a private attorney, but I can help thousands with one decision as a judge,” Trapp said.
The woman told her she had a case, but all of the attorneys she spoke to told her the court would not hear it.
“I wanted to help her, and I remembered that as an appellate judge, I wrote a decision that said it is important to keep the court doors open to everyone,” Trapp said. “She, and everyone like her, is why I’m running.”
Trapp said her experience on the bench and as a trial lawyer counts.
“The court of appeals for most people is the court of last resort,” she explained. “Very few, perhaps only 8 percent, of cases will be heard by the Ohio Supreme Court. If it’s your case and you have one shot, you want an appellate judge who will consider the facts of the case and apply the law each time, not someone who predetermines how they are going to decide.”
She added, “It’s a catch phrase to say a judge should not legislate from the bench. People who say that do not understand the judicial process. Our process is based on common law, which means you have to consider the facts of each case. If it’s your case, you want that. During the home foreclosure crisis, I advocated for mediation. As a result, we saved thousands of people’s homes from foreclosure.”
Trapp pointed out that a panel of three judges rules on appellate cases, and two of them have to agree on the decision.
Rambo for Judge
With a name like Rambo, you might expect him to run for county prosecutor, but he explained his reason for running for the bench is because he and his wife are raising their family with two small children in the community, and he wants to keep the county as a good place for families.
At 40, Rambo said he brings youth to the bench, along with courtroom experience, having served five years a staff attorney for Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court and for three years as a magistrate in the Court of Claims of Ohio.
He pointed out his opponents are both 67 years old and said they do not have significant courtroom experience.
“You have to know how to organize a docket and how to record cases,” Rambo said. “It could take a year on the job to learn how to do this.”
Rambo would like to see Geauga split out a separate drug court, which is permitted under Ohio law. He said a specialized drug court could help divert people into carefully monitored treatment programs, which he said would help more people and save on incarceration costs borne by taxpayers.
“The Ohio General Assembly doesn’t want to spend more money on prisons and, as a result, the costs are being shifted from the state to the county level,” Rambo said. “The cost per prisoner per year in a private prison is $17,000 to $28,000, and they do not deal with opioid addiction treatment.”
Klammer for Appellate Court
With a 20-year career in law, Klammer agreed that having courtroom experience should be important to voters deciding on judicial candidates.
She has served as a magistrate and acting municipal court judge as well as a Geauga County assistant prosecuting attorney, during which time she assisted in the prosecution of a murder that occurred at a Chester Township gas station in 2000.
Klammer said she recently received a 96-percent approval rating from the Lake County Bar Association, whereas her opponent received no rating.
“It’s unfortunate that judicial candidates are listed at the bottom of the ballot,” Klammer said. “By the time voters get that far, they may give up or try to pick a familiar name without knowing anything about the candidate.”
Quipped Rambo, “I’m pretty sure, I’ll be listed last on the ballot, so try to keep going until you’re finished.”
