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Huberman reflects on 30 years as magistrate
By Justin Wier
YOUNGSTOWN
As Mahoning County’s longest-serving magistrate, Mark Huberman witnessed the best and worst of the legal profession in Youngstown.
At the end of last month, Huberman retired after 30 years as a magistrate. The first 10 were spent under Judges Martin Joyce and James McNally in the county’s juvenile court, and the last 20 under Judge Beth Smith in the domestic-relations court.
Huberman used the word “privilege” several times while reflecting on his time as a magistrate, while remembering the judges and lawyers he worked alongside.
Despite a stream of drug and domestic-violence cases, Huberman said he never lost empathy for those who came before him.
“It’s easy to get jaded,” he said. “But it’s important to remember why you’re there and the role you serve in the judiciary.”
He also served on the Ohio Supreme Court’s commission on the rules of practices and procedure. Huberman was the first magistrate to serve as both vice chairman and then chairman of the commission, which he said was a crowning achievement.
He authored a rule change that gives juveniles the right to consult with counsel before waiving the right to counsel when accused of offenses that could result in incarceration.
“The ability to change the legal system in Ohio, hopefully for the better, is a source of privilege and satisfaction,” he said.
He called the corruption that plagued the city early in his career the sole disappointment of his 30-year career.
“So many of my peers forgot their ethics classes and got involved with corruption,” he said.
In addition to his time as a magistrate, Huberman also served 20 years on the Boardman Local Board of Education. He’s been on the board of the Youngstown Playhouse and the Help Network of Northeast Ohio, then the Help Hotline Crisis Center Inc., among other local organizations.
Participating in community organizations provides a broad view of the county, he said.
In his retirement, Huberman will work for two organizations he’s passionate about. He’ll serve as the administrator for the Ohio Association of Magistrates and president of the American National Health Association, which promotes healthy living and a plant-based diet.
“I’m happy that as administrator for the Ohio Association of Magistrates, I’ll be able to stay in the game,” he said.
When Huberman began in 1987, there were about 200 referees, as magistrates were called then, in Ohio, most of whom worked part time. Now there are more than 800 magistrates in the state, 80 percent of whom work full time.
Magistrates are often the face of the judiciary, Huberman said, and he feels honored to both witness and play a role in the profession’s growth.
As a vegan for all 66 years of his life, he’s passionate about the American National Health Association as well. His parents joined the organization as the proprietors of Natural Health Foods and Barbell Center on Market Street. Huberman said they foresaw the growth of healthy eating.
“My parents were well ahead of their time,” he said.
Again, Huberman feels privileged to be able to devote time to his passions in retirement. He hopes to rededicate himself to the Boardman schools as well.
“That’s a rare thing to be able to retire and keep doing what you love to do,” he said.