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Recently retired Mahoning judge gets picked by governor for state ethics panel
YOUNGSTOWN
A retired Mahoning County Common Pleas Court judge, who pushed back his last day on the bench to allow the governor’s appointment to avoid a special election and serve the two-plus years remaining on his term, was selected by the governor to a seat on the Ohio Ethics Commission.
Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, announced Friday that he was appointing former Judge James C. Evans, a Democrat from Canfield, to a term on the ethics commission, effective immediately and ending Jan. 1, 2016. The appointment is subject to approval by the Republican-controlled Ohio Senate.
A seat on the ethics commission comes with a payment of $75 a meeting up to $1,800 annually, and travel expenses, said Paul Nick, its executive director. The commission usually meets about 10 times a year.
Evans angered some local Democrats when he moved his retirement from Sept. 1 to Oct. 1 to “allow my successor as appointed by Gov. Kasich to have an extended period of time in office while completing my current term before having to run in the general election.”
That was in a letter to Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor of the Ohio Supreme Court. That letter was sent at the same time he told The Vindicator that his retirement had nothing to do with the Nov. 4 election for his seat.
Kasich selected Shirley J. Christian, who considers herself a Republican, to replace Evans.
“I find this to be nothing more than a political reward for allowing [Kasich] to appoint a Republican judge,” said Mahoning County Democratic Party Chairman David Betras. “There’s nothing unlawful about it, but it’s like, ‘Hey, judge, thanks for letting me appoint a Republican judge.’ It doesn’t look right.”
When asked if there was any trade-off with Evans, Rob Nichols, Kasich’s spokesman, said, “Of course not. That’s laughable.”
The governor’s office didn’t have any discussions with Evans about postponing his retirement date, and first spoke to him after he applied to be on the commission, Nichols said.
Evans couldn’t be reached Friday by The Vindicator to comment.
The Ohio Ethics Commission is supposed to have six members — three Republicans and three Democrats, all appointed by the governor. Currently, it has one Democrat, with Evans being the second if he’s confirmed.
The commission issues advisory opinions regarding questions about ethics, conflicts of interest and financial disclosure for public officials and employees in the executive branch.