MOST Toledoans go through their whole lives without having to step into a courtroom. That's as it should be. But for those who do come in contact with the judicial system, the most likely place will be Toledo Municipal Court.
The judges who serve there have to be part legal expert, part psychologist, and part social worker, and the candidate we believe best fits that job description is Bill Connelly.
Toledo is extremely fortunate this year that both the Democratic and Republican parties fielded young, highly qualified candidates to replace Judge Lynn Schaefer, who decided not to seek re-election.
Both Mr. Connelly, the endorsed Republican, and Ian English, the endorsed Democrat, are experienced lawyers as well as prosecutors, meaning either one would bring a balanced view to the bench. Both are native Toledoans committed to the city they have known all their lives.
But ultimately for us, Mr. Connelly's background and breadth of experience trumped Mr. English's.
William Connelly, Jr., whose parents are both longtime Toledo attorneys, literally grew up around the law. A graduate of the Ohio State University and the University of Toledo's college of law, he worked in state government for the Department of Transportation and in the office of state senator and later Attorney General Betty Montgomery. He then spent several years as a defense attorney before moving to the Wood County prosecutor's office as an assistant prosecutor in 2005.
He is rated "recommended" or "highly recommended" for the judgeship by 86 percent of Toledo Bar Association respondents in the group's poll this year.
As for the third candidate in the race, Mark Davis, an independent, may have been campaigning the longest but no matter how many billboards and signs he puts up around the city, they can't offset the fact that more than 75 percent of his peers rated him "not recommended" in the Toledo bar poll.
Municipal court is often called the court of retail justice because it is where cases involving small claims up to $3,000, misdemeanors, traffic and parking violations, and civil actions up to $15,000 are heard.
We believe justice will be best served on Nov. 3 by electing the candidate with the broadest experience in and out of the courtroom. Vote for Bill Connelly for Municipal Court judge.
First Published October 30, 2009, 9:38 a.m.