Medina County Municipal Court Election

The story of the on again off again election for the Medina Municipal Court is not really a story about the law or even an election. It is a story about people.

People like Republican William Batchelder, who originally prevented the election from occurring because he didn’t want the voters to decide the fate of a political friend. I think it is telling that Mr. Batchelder is now running to represent Ohio’s 69th District, which coincidentally nearly mirrors the Municipal Court District.

People like Republican State Rep., Chuck Calvert, who in a laconic and spiteful and unconstitutional attempt to hand the job back to another political crony wrote a tiny little amendment designed to undue the Batchelder agreement and hid it in a 2,300-page budget bill. I believe that the amendment was tiny and hidden because, like his mentor Mr. Batchelder, Mr. Calvert really didn’t want the content debated or voted on.

People like Republican Medina County Recorder Nancy Abbott, who opportunistically jumped into the race willing to abandon the voters who elected her County Recorder in 2004. The Medina Municipal Clerk position would hand Ms. Abbott an 80% raise in pay if she were to be elected, and, if played like any well stacked deck, would give her old job back to her if she loses the election. Nancy is a career politician and knows all the angles.

People like Lori Henry, who became the current Municipal Clerk of Courts when she submitted her resume like most of us did when we got our job. She was hired when the Batchelder agreement was still in effect, and could not have known that the Republican power brokers were waiting to strike. Lori doesn’t have a network of political cronies and financial backers like her opponent does. She’s a Clerk who was hired because of her experience and qualification. Lori Henry is doing an excellent job, and even Nancy Abbott has admitted as much, but like most people Lori has no political experience or savvy.

It is time to for the people to say NO! to the back-room shenanigans that career politicians and power-brokers Abbott and Batchelder and Calvert have been committing. Medina needs a change.

Elect Lori Henry because she is the best person for the job.        

John Galish

Brunswick, OH