MAHONING COUNTY Magistrate candidate field narrows to three applicants

Two of the finalists have prosecution backgrounds; the other is a civil attorney.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Three candidates are left in the field of applicants to become Mahoning County's next common pleas court magistrate.
Michele G. Cerni of Toledo, Eugene J. Fehr of Canfield Township and Timothy G. Welsh of Youngstown have been chosen from the original field of more than 40 candidates and will be given a second interview Friday, said Administrative Judge Maureen A. Cronin.
About half the candidates were from Mahoning County and all but one were from Ohio. Judges hope to have a new magistrate selected and on the job by April 1, Judge Cronin said.
About contenders: Cerni is a former assistant county prosecutor, handling appellate cases for Prosecutor Paul Gains. She is a private attorney.
Fehr has been with the county prosecutor's office since 1989 and previously served as an assistant Trumbull County prosecutor. He is responsible primarily for prosecuting drug cases.
Welsh is a private attorney and former president of the county bar association. He was also a law partner with Bernard J. Wilkes III, whose death in December created the magistrate's vacancy.
Wilkes was the second person to hold the job, succeeding Joseph Bryan, who retired in 1999.
Handling caseload: Since Wilkes' death, visiting Judge Mary Cacioppo of Summit County has served by appointment of the Ohio Supreme Court to handle the magistrate's caseload. Her appointment expires at the end of this month, but it can be renewed if necessary.
The vacancy is for a magistrate who will preside over nonjury trials for the five common pleas judges. The magistrate handles primarily insurance cases, business disputes, breaches of contract and other civil matters, and his or her rulings are subject to review by a judge.
The position will pay about $65,000 a year, judges have said.