Don’t forget judicial races
I fully agree with the Monday Dispatch editorial “City voters have important choices.” Indeed, the offices of Columbus city attorney, city auditor and city council are very important, not just to the city proper but to the entire community.
The editorial noted that “the city attorney’s staff increasingly must work cooperatively with ... the judges of the municipal, common pleas and juvenile courts.” Unfortunately, the Editorial Board decided, for whatever reason, not to mention that there are three contested municipal court races. Admittedly, every resident of Franklin County is eligible to vote, (and I encourage them to do so) in these races. However, because the vast majority of Columbus is in Franklin County and the municipal court has jurisdiction over the entire city, these are very important judicial races.
I am proud to have served on the Franklin County Municipal Court bench for eight years.
Frequently there are articles or letters to the editor commenting about how little the general voter knows about the judicial races. I am sure if I searched the archives of The Dispatch, I could find an editorial lamenting the low voter participation in the judicial races. Monday’s editorial would have been a perfect time to increase the voter awareness of the municipal court judicial contests and perhaps the community’s participation.
Charles A. Schneider Presiding judge Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Dublin Columbus