OHIO STATE BAR ASSOCIATION Group criticizes judge's materials

The judge says the criticism is a 'badge of honor.'
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- An Ohio State Bar Association committee strongly criticized Judge William O'Neill, a state Supreme Court candidate, for campaign materials containing "statements that impugn the integrity of the court."
But the 25,000-member volunteer association has no power to punish Judge O'Neill, a member of the Warren-based 11th District Court of Appeals, said Bill Weisenberg, OSBA's director of public affairs and government relations.
"The only power we have is public opinion," he said. "We have no authority to take any action."
State Rep. Jim Trakas, Cuyahoga County Republican Party chairman, filed complaints July 16 with the bar association, the Ohio Supreme Court's disciplinary counsel and the Ohio Elections Commission against Judge O'Neill, a Democrat.
The complaint accused the judge of referring to his partisan affiliation, failing to identify his current court in campaign literature, and maligning the judiciary through unfounded accusations in campaign literature.
"It sounds like I did something evil," said Judge O'Neill. "I'm not attacking anyone's integrity. I'm just speaking the truth, and some people don't want to hear it."
Claiming corruption
On campaign materials and his Web site -- www.oneillforjustice.com -- the judge writes that "money and judges don't mix," and is critical of lawyers bankrolling judicial campaigns.
Of particular concern is Judge O'Neill's mention that "we must stop selling seats on the Ohio Supreme Court like you sell a seat on the New York Stock Exchange," said David Crago, chairman of OSBA's judicial election campaign advertising monitoring committee, which handled the complaint against the judge.
In a written statement, the OSBA wrote that the committee determined that particular statement implies that seats on the court are for sale and that someone could own a seat.
Judge O'Neill not only refused to back away from his statements Tuesday, but added to them.
"Judicial races in Ohio have become a money pit," he said. "Everyone knows it. I consider [the OSBA criticism] a badge of honor. It's about time that the OSBA get involved in judicial financial reform."
Partisanship
The OSBA believes the other component of the complaint against Judge O'Neill belongs in the hands of the Ohio Elections Commission and/or the state Supreme Court, Weisenberg said.
Once partisan party primaries are over, judges are supposed to be nonpartisan, and there is no party affiliation next to their names on the November general election ballot. Judge O'Neill said he plans to continue referring to himself as a Democrat.
Judge O'Neill of South Russell has served on the 11th District since 1996. The court includes Trumbull, Lake, Portage, Geauga and Ashtabula counties.
He is challenging Justice Terrence O'Donnell, a Cleveland-area Republican appointed by the governor in early 2003 to fill a vacancy on the state Supreme Court. The winner of the November general election will fill the remainder of a two-year term on the bench.
Judge O'Neill placed limits on the amount of donations he receives -- $10 from individuals and $1,000 from organizations. He raised $13,000 while Justice O'Donnell raised $216,000 through April 2, the last campaign finance report deadline. The next deadline is today, and Judge O'Neill expects Justice O'Donnell's financial lead over him to substantially increase.
skolnick@vindy.com