More than a dozen judicial races were on the primary ballot Tuesday in Cuyahoga County. But only four of the races were contested. See who’s winning and who won without any competition.
Democratic primary: Judge Nancy Margaret Russo and Carl Mazzone
Carl Mazzone, a veteran Cuyahoga County prosecutor, defeated Judge Nancy Margaret Russo, who has been on the bench since 1997.
The two were seeking to replace a Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas seat long held by Judge Daniel Gaul, who was suspended from bench for the remainder of his term.
No Republican filed to run for this seat.
Democratic primary: Kira Krivosh, Fallon Kilbane McNally and Jennifer McTernan
Kira Krivosh, Fallon Kilbane McNally and Jennifer McTernan ran for an open seat on the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court’s General Division, which has 34 judges.
The seat was previously held by Judge Michael Russo, who died in October after a long illness.
Krivosh will face Republican Timothy Clary in the General Election. Clary was appointed to fill Russo’s seat by Gov. Mike DeWine.
The winner in the General Election will hold the seat until the end of 2026.
Democratic primary: Mollie Ann Murphy, Fallon Marie Radigan and Ray Tarasuck
In this open race, Mollie Ann Murphy, Fallon Marie Radigan and Ray Tarasuck competed for a seat on the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court’s General Division.
The seat was long held by Judge John D. Sutula, who is retiring.
Murphy topped the three-way race with nearly 37% of the vote. She will face Republican Tim Hess in the General Election.
Democratic primary: Judge Alison Nelson Floyd and Joseph P. O’Malley
Judge Alison Nelson Floyd defeated challenger Joseph P. O’Malley for a seat on the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court.
Floyd has been a judge on the Juvenile Court judge since 2000.
Floyd won with nearly 70% of the vote.
What’s next: General election candidates
Several Democratic and Republican judicial candidates won their primaries and will face off in the November election:
Daryl T. Dennie ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and will run against the current judge, Joan Synenberg. Synenberg has been appointed twice to the bench by Republican governors.
Joy Kennedy, a magistrate for the Cleveland Municipal Court, was unopposed in the Democratic primary and will run against Amily A. Imbrogno. Imbrogno ran unopposed in the Republican primary.
Antonio S. Nicholson ran unopposed in the Republican primary and will run against the current judge, Kevin Kelley. Kelley is a Democrat and a former Cleveland City Council president.
Jason Ralls, a personal injury lawyer, ran unopposed in the Republican primary and will run against the current judge, Cassandra Collier-Williams. Collier-Williams is a Democrat and also ran unopposed in the primary. As a judge, she handles business and contract disputes, liquidation and shareholder disagreements.
Elected to the Common Pleas Court
Six judicial candidates ran unopposed and won their elections for the Common Pleas Court General Division – including four re-elections – to the Cuyahoga Court of Common Pleas. Judges John P. O’Donnell, Ashley Kilbane, Emily Hagan and Timothy McCormick will remain on the court. They will be joined by Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Lauren C. Moore and John J. Spellacy, a magistrate in Parma and prosecutor in Westlake.
Lauren C. Moore has been a Cleveland Municipal Court judge since 2004. Prior to that, she worked as a public defender, a Legal Aid attorney and a Cleveland City prosecutor. In 2009, Moore also started the tradition of hosting wedding ceremonies on Valentine’s Day.
John J. Spellacy is a magistrate in Parma and a prosecutor in Westlake. Spellacy has been an attorney for 28 years and has also worked as both a city prosecutor and a criminal defense attorney.
John P. O’Donnell won his re-election. Since 2008, he has handled a special docket of commercial cases. He graduated from Miami University and Cleveland State University College of Law.
Ashley Kilbane won her re-election. Prior to becoming a judge in 2009, Kilbane worked as a law clerk, private attorney and prosecutor.
Emily Hagan won her re-election. Previously, she was a judicial staff attorney for Common Pleas Judge Michael Donnelly before he was elected to the Ohio Supreme Court.
Timothy McCormick won his re-election. This is his third re-election and third time running unopposed.
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