Recent News

September 11, 2009

Preferred Judicial Candidates Selected by Local Attorneys

The Columbus Bar annual Preference Poll results report the candidates local attorneys would vote for in contested judicial races for Franklin County Municipal Court. This information is not intended as an endorsement for candidates, but as a service to help voters make an informed decision when voting for judicial candidates.

Polling ballots were sent to more than 7,400 attorneys in Franklin County. Respondents were asked to indicate the candidate they preferred. Of the nine judicial races being decided on Nov. 3 in Franklin County, only the retired seat of Judge Janet Grubb, Municipal Court bench, is contested. A total of 370 votes were cast for the candidates and an additional 106 votes indicated insufficient knowledge or information about the candidates. A letter accompanying the ballot requested that attorneys without “sufficient current knowledge or information about the candidates” abstain from voting in the poll.

Magistrate Mark A. Hummer was the preferred candidate, receiving 64 percent of the vote, to J. Richard “Rick” Brown, 16.7 percent.

The Columbus Bar conducts two polls each year in an effort to provide merit-based, non-partisan information to voters about the elected judiciary. The preference poll of judicial candidates is conducted each fall. A performance poll of sitting judges is conducted each spring.