Geauga Bar Members Weigh In on Contested Appellate Court Race
The Geauga County Bar Association recently conducted a poll of its members regarding candidates for the upcoming contested 11th District Court of Appeals judicial race in the May 8 primary election.
One hundred seventy (170) ballots were issued to members of the bar and 85 responses were returned by the April 6 deadline, Krystal Thompson, executive secretary of the GCBA, said in an April 16 letter to Chardon Municpal Court Judge Terri Stupica, bar association president.
Respondents were asked to base their evaluation and responses to individual candidate’s fitness for the office sought, including such qualities as the candidate’s honesty, ability, temperament, industry, impartiality and professional competence.
Biographical information provided by each candidate was provided to bar association members.
“Poll results are not to be interpreted as an endorsement of any candidate by the bar, but are solely a compilation of the responses of the voting members of the Geauga County Bar Association,” Thompson said.
Two candidates — incumbent Colleen O’Toole and Matt Lynch — are seeking a six-year term on the 11th District Court of Appeals, commencing Feb. 9, 2019.
O’Toole received 11 “Highly Recommended” responses and 23 “Recommended” compared to 3 “Highly Recommended” and 14 “Recommended” responses for Lynch.
O’Toole also received 47 “Not Recommended” and 4 “No Opinion” survey responses.
Fifty-seven (57) respondents said Lynch was “Not Recommended” and 11 had “No Opinion.”
