POLITICAL: Letters to the Editor
October 10, 2024

Out With the Old, In with The New

The state of Ohio prohibits judges from beginning a term after the age of 70. Mary Jane Trapp, age 68, would be beginning the last judicial term of her career permitted by law if she were elected to Geauga County Court of Common Pleas.

I have to sincerely question the motives of someone who is so close to a mandatory retirement wanting to run for the office, coupled with the full-throated support of a lifelong Democrat by so many elected Republican officials in the county, something is amiss with Ms. Trapp’s candidacy.

Trapp’s supporters like to tout her prior time on the bench and not much else as a reason to vote for her, but with the importance of the position and the continuity desired by Geaugans, will it be good for the county if we elected someone who will have to be replaced again in just four years? At what point in her single term would a case filed in her court almost certainly have to be decided by a different judge? Is an organization stable if there is a change in leadership over such a short period? I would think not.

Matt Rambo is certainly not inexperienced; with over two decades of legal and judicial experience he is not wet behind the ears. However, Mr. Rambo still has a lengthy career ahead of him in service to the residents of Geauga County.

When Mr. Rambo talks about the duties of a judge and his prior experience in judicial roles, his passion for interpreting the law and the fair administration of justice is clear and palpable.

I have no doubt in my mind that Matt Rambo is the best choice before us in November for this very important position, that he would serve impartially with honor and integrity, and that he has a bright future ahead of him serving the good people of Geauga County. I would urge everybody who cares about the fair and equal dispensation of justice over the pride of an individual seeking a final entry to their resume to vote for Matt Rambo for court of common pleas.

Chris Alusheff
Aquilla Village

Hold Politicians Accountable

When tornadoes touched down in August and knocked out power for days for 250,000 Ohioans, all I could think about was the Republican former Speaker of the Ohio House, Larry Householder.

Last year, Larry Householder was sentenced to serve 20 years in prison for accepting $61 million in bribes from FirstEnergy, in exchange for the Ohio legislature passing a multi-billion-dollar Nuclear Plant bailout.

This made me wonder how FirstEnergy has enough money to bribe Republican politicians, but not enough money to upgrade our energy infrastructure so that bad weather wouldn’t knock out the electricity for so many people every year.

And then it suddenly made sense.

As it is right now, the Republican Party has gerrymandered our voting districts to their advantage so much that they don’t fear being held responsible for their involvement in obvious corruption scandals. They get to choose their voters, instead of us choosing them, and that gives them a free pass for corruption, while the voters suffer.

This is why we need to vote Yes on Issue 1, so that a non-partisan body can neutralize the advantage the Republican Party uses to evade accountability every election cycle.

If Issue 1 passes, we will finally be able to elect serious people who solve real problems, instead of leaving us in literally the dark year after year. We need every Yes vote we can get!

Jason Crawford
Auburn Township

Vote No on Issue 1

Issue 1 is a push for a radical redistricting plan which is on the November ballot. The redrawing of the district maps will not be done by elected officials but rather by unelected hand-selected bureaucrats.

The district areas will be developed based on racial and political status of the voters living in the areas. Therefore, compact districts would be altered to stretch over long distances. The maps will not be subject to review by the Ohio Supreme Court; they could only be challenged by appointed “special masters.” The commission would have a blank check paid for by the legislature without question.

Issue 1 is a bad idea.