43
Mahoning GOP committee selects finalists for Y'town judge
YOUNGSTOWN
The city magistrate, an ex-law director and a former assistant city prosecutor are the three finalists to be the next Youngstown Municipal Court judge.
An eight-member Mahoning County Republican Party screening committee interviewed the six candidates seeking the appointment.
The three finalists chosen by the committee are:
Renee DiSalvo, who works in private practice and is a former assistant city prosecutor.
Anthony Farris, a former law director and ex-chief assistant city prosecutor who is a senior assistant Ohio attorney general. He unsuccessfully ran for city judge in the 2001 Democratic primary.
City Magistrate Anthony Sertick, who lost the Democratic primary for city judge last year.
“These three stood out,” said Mark Munroe, the county’s Republican Party chairman and a member of the screening committee. “The committee members were asked to rank their top three, and these were agreed upon unanimously by the committee.”
Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, will select the next judge from the finalists.
Judge Elizabeth Kobly is officially retiring Sept. 21 though last Friday was her last day on the bench. The appointment would run to Jan. 1, 2020.
There’s an election next year for a full six-year term for the post.
The three other candidates who interviewed for the appointment were:
Former city Law Director Martin Hume, an assistant county prosecutor.
Mark Hanni, private practice attorney who lost last year’s municipal court judicial race as an independent.
Terry Grenga, also a private practice attorney and a former assistant county prosecutor.
In addition to Munroe, the screening committee members were Thomas McCabe, the party’s first vice chairman; Jill Downie, the party’s second vice chairwoman and a Youngstown resident; Atty. Mark Mangie; Atty. Ron Knickerbocker; Tracey Winbush, a county board of elections member and Youngstown resident; Donna Bricker, former party chairwoman; and the Rev. Lewis Macklin, the committee’s lone Democrat, and pastor of Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist Church in Youngstown.