Democratic candidates sweep five Franklin County Common Pleas judge races

As part of the blue wave that hit Franklin County court races on Tuesday, Democratic candidates swept all five county Common Pleas judge seats available, knocking off two incumbent Republicans in the process.

Democratic incumbents Judges Chris Brown and David Young won convincing victories in their bids for reelection, while Republican incumbents Jenifer French and Gina Russo lost to their Democratic challengers.

In the race for an open seat on the bench, Democrat Carl Aveni defeated Republican Josh Brown, 55% to 45%.

In the only close race, Andy Miller narrowly defeated French, 51% to 49%. The other results showed Chris Brown winning over Michael E. Carleton, 70 to 30%; Young defeating Michael J. Cassone, 68 to 32%; and Sheryl Munson bumping off Russo, 56 to 44%.

Although judicial races in Ohio are considered nonpartisan and political affiliations don't appear on the general election ballot, political parties endorse and campaign for judicial candidates.

Miller said that Tuesday nights' blue wave across Franklin County is a political matter that a judicial candidate probably shouldn't comment on, but he hopes it's a message policymakers receive.

"We got to talk about substance this election more than we do in normal years, and I noticed people are more appreciative of the concept of restorative justice," he said, referring to the movement aimed at repairing the harm caused by crime. 

French, 46, was seeking her second term after six years on the bench. Miller, 45, has spent the past 11 years as an assistant Columbus city attorney, handling civil litigation.

Aveni, a lawyer for 24 years, has spent the past 14 years as a litigation partner at the Columbus law firm of Carlile Patchen & Murphy. Two years ago, he ran for Common Pleas Court judge and lost by less than 1% of the vote to Judge Dan Hawkins.

"I've waited a long time for this, and I'm excited to serve and eager to get on with it," Aveni said. He will fill the seat that was made available by the retirement of Judge William Woods.

Chris Brown, 40, has been on the Common Pleas bench since 2015 and won a second term. Carleton, 41, didn't run a campaign, which helped propel Brown to the widest margin of victory among all the judicial candidates in the county. 

"I think we all have an obligation, whether you're at the Statehouse or the courthouse, to keep in mind the people that you're serving," Brown said. "I just look forward to serving my hometown for another six years."

The incumbent judge said he is interested in how criminal justice reform will be applied to drug charges in Franklin County as we approach the new term.

Young, 59, was a Franklin County Municipal Court judge for three years before being elected to Common Pleas Court in 2014. Cassone, 42, has been a lawyer in private practice for 15 years.

"The entire Democratic slate was elected by pretty significant margins," Young said. "All of us were out at the early voting center every time that we could" to speak with voters lined up to cast their ballots.

Munson, 52, a Franklin County public defender since 1994, called herself "beyond ecstatic" about her victory over Judge Russo. "I'm so happy and so grateful to the voters of Franklin County."

By defeating Russo, a former Franklin County assistant prosecutor, Munson won the right to complete a term that expires in January 2023. Russo, 43, was appointed to a vacancy on the bench in March 2019 by Gov. Mike DeWine, a fellow Republican.

Munson will be eligible to be sworn in after the vote is certified by the county board of elections. She expects to take the bench about Dec. 7, she said.

Winners in the other races will get six-year terms on the court, which handles felony offenses and civil disputes involving more than $15,000. The annual salary for judges on the Common Pleas court is $150,183.

Dispatch reporter Ceili Doyle contributed reporting to this story.

jfutty@dispatch.com

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