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3 candidates vie for Trumbull probate judgeship
By jeanne starmack
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Three candidates are in the race to replace Judge Thomas A. Swift on the bench in the Trumbull County Probate Court.
William Flevares, 48; James Fredericka, 60; and Patricia Knepp, 50, all of Warren, are running in the Democratic primary for the post. No Republicans have filed for the seat.
Judge Swift, a Republican, cannot seek re-election this year because of the state’s age-limit law. The age limit is 70 for seeking election to a judgeship, and Judge Swift is 72.
Flevares said he is seeking the post because he wants to look out for people in Trumbull County so they aren’t taken advantage of.
“I have seen too many cases in probate court that drag on without reason,” he said. “These lawyers are looting estates and depriving families of what is rightfully theirs.”
He acknowledged that each case is unique. “Cases do drag out beyond a judge’s control,” he said.
“I have handled probate matters in 13 different Ohio counties,” he continued, adding that experience has given him a better understanding of how courts are run.
He said he has 22 years’ experience as a lawyer, with 15 of them focused on probate law.
Flevares also said judicial temperament is important.
“A judge must always be respectful,” he said, even with difficult people.
He said his top priority is establishing mediation.
“It will save families on both legal and emotional costs,” he said.
Knepp said her decision to become a judge was “well thought out” after 20 years in private practice with a concentration in probate law.
She wants to help people understand what a probate court does and how to navigate it, she said.
She said she wants to make the court system accessible to everyone.
“A lot of people don’t know how the court can help them,” she said. “Say they show up — they don’t know what to do; some people don’t have financial accessibility,” she said.
Though the staff is “very caring,” she added, staff members can’t waive court fees or give legal advice.
Knepp said the court needs a procedure to assist people who can’t afford the costs.
She said she also wants to expand outreach programs for nursing homes, hospitals and for people who are confined to their homes.
Knepp said that though the court sees people in happy times such as marriages and adoptions, there are also people whose lives are devastated by a loved one’s death or by a loved one’s inability to care for him or herself.
“I know first-hand that these matters are not just cases with numbers,” she said. “They are people ...” she continued. “The probate court exists to protect all of us.”
Fredericka has been in law for 35 years and said he deals with probate issues “every day.”
He said he handles estates and wills. He has been a guardian ad litem — a court-appointed lawyer for minors and incompetent individuals — in significant and difficult cases, he said.
Fredericka said a probate judge must reach out to the community, manage a timely docket, stay within the budget, improve the procedures in the court and serve the public fairly.
His top priority, he indicated, is education outreach.
He said many people, including senior citizens, do not understand the court.
He said magistrates could do a better job of providing free educational forums. The court could reach out by going to senior centers, churches and other community centers to inform people about the court.
“Get out there in the community and explain to seniors what the probate court is all about so they don’t worry someone will take away their independence,” he said.
Fredericka said everyone should be given dignity, respect and a fair decision right away.
“You hear the case, you know the facts, what excuse is there for a judge not to call it right away?” he said.