Sunday, January 22, 2012
As the dispute between the three judges of the Youngstown Municipal Court and the city administration over facilities continues to roil, a more important issue involving the courts in Mahoning County below the Common Pleas level is getting little attention from the public or the keepers of the public purse: Consolidation. But that could change if Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor expands the assignment of the master commissioner who is overseeing the dispute in Youngstown.
Under the statute, the chief justice has authority over all state courts. But, why should O’Connor get involved in the court consolidation issue when the decision-makers in Mahoning County have failed to make any progress since the idea was first broached almost three decades ago? Because neither local governments nor the state can afford to finance an archaic, inefficient system of justice.
If the Republican chief justice is worried about political backlash from the predominantly Democratic Mahoning County, she has a public commitment from the chairman of the county Democratic Party, David Betras, a well-known lawyer, to “help with the political inertia to move forward and change the system once and for all to benefit our legal system.”
The commitment was contained in a letter Betras sent to O’Connor urging the Supreme Court to go beyond mediating the Youngstown judges-administration clash.
In laying out the case for consolidation, the Democratic Party chairman offered the following overview of the current system:
“The lower court system in Mahoning County has nine different judges in seven different locations. Three of the nine are full time judges, and the other judges are part time for a county of 240,000 people. Youngstown has a population hovering around 67,000 and has three full time judges. Boardman Township and Austintown Township have a combined population greater than Youngstown and each township has only one part time judge. Likewise, the city of Struthers has a population of 12,000 and has one part time judge. The city of Campbell has a population of 9,000 and has one part time judge.”
If O’Connor is wondering why the court system in Mahoning County has not changed with the times — especially the tough economic times — the answer can be found in payrolls of each of the courts. It’s all about job preservation — starting with the judges.
Full-time judges
If a true metropolitan system were created, there would be a set number of full-time judges who would have to run for election in specific districts. They would serve at large, but the districts would ensure representation from all parts of Mahoning County.
As for the location of the metropolitan court, two sites, one to cater to the northern part of the county and the other the southern part could be established.
The advantages of consolidation are obvious, and yet past attempts at moving beyond the talking stage have failed.
Chief Justice O’Connor should know that granting the judges of the Youngstown Municipal Court new quarters at a cost of at least $8 million is a waste of money.
It’s time for bold action.