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All candidates were
asked to limit their responses to a maximum of 50 words for “Occupation,
Education & Qualifications” and 150 words for the response to the
question.
All
candidates were asked the following question:
What
are the pertinent issues facing your office for the next term and how can
they be dealt with?
Candidates: State Representative 98th District
Mary A.
Briggs – Democrat
*Candidate Response was not received by publication deadline
Bob Cannon
– Constitution
Age: NA
Phone Number: 440-853-6610
Occupation: Consultant
Education: B.A.,
M.B.A.
Qualifications: 30+ years of business leadership accomplishments and
a strong desire to make a difference.
Response:
The biggest issue facing Ohio is the economy and jobs. Our state
and local taxes are some of the highest in the country. To do that we must
become business friendly, we must reduce the size of government, reduce
government spending and reduce taxes. (In the last 10 years while my
opponent was in Columbus, our state budget has grown from $68
billion to $119 billion.) The Rs and Ds are locked into a caucus system
that generates legislation along party lines. This year there are 26
Constitution or Libertarian candidates running for office. If only a
handful are elected, we can break the caucus system and force legislators
to vote for what is best for the state rather than their party. It is
time to restore our economic engine and return Ohio to prosperity!
Timothy J.
Grendell -- Republican
Age: NA
Phone Number: 216-904-0029
Occupation: Legislator/Senator
Education: B.A., John Carroll University, J.D., Case Western Reserve and LLM, University of Virginia
Qualifications: Has served as an effective advocate for Geauga County residents in the Ohio Legislature.
Eliminated the cost of E-check, fought to prevent state park fees, fought
to lower cost of septic systems, and led the fight to protect private
property rights and water rights.
Response:
Tim Grendell has the knowledge, experience and skills to reduce state
government, to limit tax spending, and to balance the next state budget. Ohio needs to create more jobs and Tim
Grendell will fight to reduce the tax burdens and the regulatory road
blocks to new business and job creation. Tim Grendell is working to bring
down the cost of workers compensation. Tim Grendell is leading the fight
for state sovereignty and to allow Ohioans to be relieved from the burdens
of Obamacare -national health care. Tim Grendell OPPOSES regionalism and
will continue to work for limited government and less taxes. Tim Grendell,
a decorated military veteran, has stood up for our veterans and will
continue to do so. Among the endorsements that Tim Grendell has received as
candidate for the 98th House seat include nurses' association,
firefighters, policemen and doctors. Tim Grendell is the recipient of the
award
Mark Saric – Independent
Age: 41
Phone Number: 440-729-8325
Occupation: Self-employed
Education: Gilmour Academy,
John Carroll University (B.A.), Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, (J.D.), Amsterdam
Law School,
(LL.M.)
Qualifications: Worked with government officials as an attorney,
domestically & internationally, and as a contractor with both the
Department of Defense and the International Republican Institute.
Response:
Saric has a team addressing the budget, set to expire in 2011, because Ohio faces a deficit of between 4 –
8 billion dollars. Cuts need to be made, and creativity or
necessity shall breed efficiency; Saric has contacted both sides of
the aisle to resolve budgetary concerns; and Saric has met and shall
discuss challenging issues with local officials, including West Geauga’s new superintendent, Dr. Tom
Diringer, because legislators have previously relied on one-time-only
federal funds. Term limits are circumvented when the letter of
the law is used to sabotage its spirit; if someone vacates a seat –
or quits his post – such an official should not run for another
office during the same term. Government is “by the people, and
for the people,” and party shenanigans have disenfranchised too
many. Saric is assisting manufacturers export, now, and, if he
can do this locally, then he can do it statewide.
Candidates: County
Commissioner
Bill
Young – Republican
Age: 70
Phone Number: 440-338-4110
Occupation: Geauga County Commissioner, previously 37 years in
employee benefits with major insurance companies
Education: Virginia Military Institute, B.A.
Qualifications: 8 years' experience as Commissioner,
9 years' experience as Mayor. 4 years experience as Councilman in South Russell Village, over 35 years' private-sector
management experience
Response:
While we currently enjoy the lowest unemployment rate in the state and have
been recently recognized as the second healthiest county in the state and
the best county in Ohio to raise a family, we face
significant issues. The current economic situation has reduced the amount
of revenue available in our General Fund from which we must provide for
public safety and meeting citizen needs with essential services. We must
deal with these issues by reducing the cost of government through improved
employee productivity and streamlining of our policies and procedures AND we must proactively pursue economic
development initiatives which encourage private sector expansion of new and
existing businesses.
Candidates: County
Auditor
Frank
J. Gliha – Republican
Age: NA
Phone Number: 440-286-6922
Occupation: Geauga County Auditor
Education: MBA Baldwin Wallace College
Qualifications: Serving as Auditor for the past 19
months.
Response:
One of the most challenging aspects of the Auditor's position in 2011 will
be when the Auditor and State reset property values for 2011 that will take
effect in 2012. As the Auditor I know property values will go up and
some will go down but the majority will remain the same. The real challenge
will be to ensure that all property values are done fairly and
honestly. And when property value abstract is sent to the State of Ohio that there is now need for the State
to adjust our values
Candidates: Appeals Court Judge 11th Districct
Eugene
A. Lucci – Republican
Age: 55
Phone Number: (440) 255-9100; (440) 749-1439
Occupation: Judge, Common Pleas Court, Lake County
Education: B.A. Case Western Reserve 1975; J.D. Cleveland-Marshall
College of Law 1980; Advanced Science & Technology judicial
certification (ASTAR) 2006; Master of Judicial Studies degree candidate
2011
Qualifications: Common Pleas judge 10 years; Practicing trial attorney
20 years; Municipal acting judge 12 years; Police officer 12 years.
Response:
I am running for office to restore functionality and public confidence in
the decisions and operation of this court. None of the judges
currently on the Eleventh District Court of Appeals has any experience as a
trial judge, or ever sentenced a criminal felon, or presided over a jury
trial. None have ever served as a police officer. I have done
all of these things. Such experience and insight is invaluable to the
function of an appellate judge in reviewing the work of police officers,
trial attorneys, and trial judges. I will continue to exercise
judicial restraint and respect for the rule of law. I will not
legislate from the bench. I recognize that a judge’s power of review
does not give him authority to impose his own political or policy
whims. I will be impartial regardless of the station in life of the
litigants before me.
Thomas
R. Wright – Democrat
Age: 46
Phone Number: 330/744-8695 w.; 330/506-4723 c.
Occupation: Litigation attorney
Education: Ohio State University, B.S. in Business
Administration; University of Toledo College of Law, Juris
Doctor with Honors
Qualifications: Former Appellate Law Clerk;
extensive jury trial experience; Lawyer of the Year 2005-2006, Mahoning
County Bar Association; acting judge.
Response:
The most significant issue facing the Court involves timely issuance of
opinions that fairly and accurately apply the law to the cases before the
Court. I have the background to accomplish this. I have broad
and extensive civil and criminal jury trial experience, and was named the
2005-2006 Lawyer of the Year by the Mahoning County Bar Association for
performing outstanding legal work. I currently serve as an acting judge
for the Trumbull County Eastern District Court where I preside over the
civil and criminal docket of the Court by request. I am a former
Appellate Law Clerk for the Honorable Donald R. Ford, Sr. of the Eleventh
District Court of Appeals and collaborated with authoring judges in
preparing hundreds of appellate opinions.
Candidates: Judge Court of Common Pleas
David
L. Fuhry – Republican
Age: NA
Phone Number: 440-279-2190
Occupation: Judge, Geauga County Court of Common Pleas
Education: B.A., Kent State-1974; J.D. Ohio State University College
of Law, 1977
Qualifications: 25 years judicial experience including former
Magistrate/Acting Judge – Chardon Municipal Court; current Judge of
the Court of Common Pleas
Response:
The major challenge the next Judge will face is simple: to maintain
the Court’s present course of applying the law in a fair and
impartial way. I have lived in Geauga County virtually all my life and I am
attuned to the conscience of our community. I have a long background
of judicial experience and am determined that the Court continue to treat
all who come before it fairly and with respect, be they litigants, counsel,
or the public.
Barbara
J. Moser – Democrat
Age: 54
Phone Number:
Occupation: Attorney
Education: Lake Erie College, 1978 B.A. History/Music; Ohio
State University, 1982 J.D. with honors
Qualifications: Trial Attorney for 28 years representing individuals,
businesses, cities, schools, and churches/organizations in the Common Pleas
Courts of Ohio. Court Mediator and Chairman of Arbitration panels in
Geauga and Lake Counties.
Response:
The Court of Common Pleas is the "people's court". It is
the court of first, and often last, impression for most citizens. As
a result, it is particularly important that parties to proceedings avoid
feeling like spectators and, instead, as much as possible, are advocates
for themselves, actively participating in the processing of their
cases. Time and attention should be equally and impartially afforded
all matters which come before the court. The ultimate goal is the just
resolution of each claim - with the participants knowing that they were
given an opportunity to be heard, and that they were given a "fair
shake". Independence, impartiality, integrity - the
cornerstones of judicial office. Those are what I will bring to this
position.
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