Adler wins nod for Girard judge

GIRARD

Five Democrats lined up to replace Michael Bernard as retiring judge of Girard Municipal Court, and Jeff Adler came out on top.

Adler, 47, of Hubbard, received 43 percent of the votes out of a crowded field that included Mark Finamore, 54, of Vienna Township (31 percent), Marty Hume, 54, of Liberty Township (18 percent), Rebecca Gerson of Girard (5 percent) and Harry J. DePietro of Girard (2 percent).

Adler gave credit to his supporters and a door-to-door campaign.

“We had an unbelievable amount of support,” Adler said. “We walked 214 streets, and we went door to door campaigning. We went to the voters and met them personally, and I think that made a difference.”

Adler has served as an assistant Trumbull County prosecutor since 2006 and has been a self-employed attorney since 1990. He is also Hubbard’s law director.

Adler said his goal is to run the court as “economically efficiently as possible.”

Hume has been a private-practice attorney since 1985 and an assistant Mahoning County prosecutor since 1997.

Finamore has been a part-time magistrate in the court since 1986 and a private-practice attorney in Warren since 1982. He represents more than 40 townships in Northeast Ohio as legal counsel and was Vienna Township trustee for 20 years.

Gerson has served as acting judge by appointment in Girard since March 2009 has been a private-practice attorney for 17 years.

The court’s jurisdiction is Girard, Liberty, Hubbard city and township, Vienna Township and the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Adler has no opponent in November and will serve a six-year term.

In the Girard mayor’s race, incumbent Jim Melfi, 53, received the Democratic nomination over Councilman Myron A. Esposito, collecting 73 percent of the vote. No challenger awaits Melfi in November.

Melfi has been Girard mayor for 11 years and served as Girard treasurer for 11 years.

In the race for Girard council president, incumbent Reynald J. Paolone has defeated former Councilman Michael A. Crella for the two-year term by receiving 56 percent of the vote.

In Hubbard, John D. Darko will be the next mayor because he had no opposition on Tuesday and has none in November.

Darko will replace Richard D. Keenan, who was selected by 11 Trumbull County Democratic Party precinct committee members from Hubbard at the end of 2009 to complete the term of Arthur U. Magee after Magee stepped down for health reasons.