Melissa Kobasher running for Common Pleas judge

Attorney Melissa Kobasher has announced her candidacy for Lorain County Common Pleas judge in the court's General Division. The magistrate and staff attorney for Lorain County Common Pleas Judge Christopher Rothgery, Kobasher is running for the seat being vacated by Judge Mark Betleski, a Democrat who has announced plans not to seek another term after his current one expires in December. Kobasher, who pulled petitions to run as a Democrat, said she has the experience, integrity and dedication for the job. "After graduating law school, I knew I wanted to hang a shingle in Lorain County to make a difference in the lives of everyday people who found themselves in need of legal representation, often in the most difficult moments of their lives," she said. Kobasher's legal career began when she opened her law practice, Kobasher Law LLC, where she practiced civil, family and criminal law. For nearly five years, she represented clients in divorces, civil disputes and criminal cases, and early on worked as an assistant to the Village of Wellington prosecutor. "I saw firsthand how my work and the judicial system impact the community at large. I've experienced how difficult it is to navigate a case through our courts and am keenly aware of the need to work in conjunction with the many agencies in our communities that are involved in the judicial process," Kobasher said. In 2016, Kobasher served as a magistrate in Lorain County Domestic Relations Court before accepting her current position in 2017. She handles duties similar to a judge in both civil and criminal matters. "I strive to be accessible to lawyers and litigants to handle matters in an efficient manner," she said. Kobasher is married to Nick Elder and is the mother of two school-age children. She is a member of the Lorain Lions Club, a board member of the Lorain County Urban League, and sits on the Legal Ethics and Grievance Committee of the Lorain County Bar Association. In announcing her candidacy, Kobasher noted she is the only female candidate seeking the position. If she were to win election, she would be only the second woman elected to the General Division bench in Lorain County after the late Judge Lynett McGough, and only the third woman to serve. (Former Judge Michele Silva Arredondo was appointed by former Gov. John Kasich in August 2015 to serve out a portion of former Judge James Burge's unexpired term, but lost in the March 2016 Republican primary). Kobasher joins a field of candidates that already includes Avon Lake Municipal Judge Darrel Bilancini, who is running as a Republican; attorney Kim Meyers, who currently is the magistrate and staff attorney in Betleski's office and has pulled petitions to run as a Democrat; and attorney Zachary Simonoff, an attorney in private practice and defense counsel for Lorain County Veterans Treatment Court who also has pulled petitions to run as a Democrat. The Friends of Melissa Kobasher will be hosting its first public event, a spaghetti fundraiser, at the Italian American Veterans Club in Lorain from noon to 3 p.m. Feb. 27. Her website is kobasherforjudge.com. Attorney Will Spiegelberg also has pulled petitions to run for Betleski's seat as a Republican but has yet to file, according to the Lorain County Board of Elections. He ran against Arredondo in the 2016 Republican primary, but lost in the general election to Judge Chris Cook, a Democrat. Board of Elections Director Paul Adams said that due to a recent change in the law, candidates for the common pleas bench will run in the primary on a partisan ballot, but no party designation will appear under their names on the ballot in the November election. Candidates for Court of Appeals and the Ohio Supreme Court will have their party affiliations under their name in the November election for the first time, he said. Common Pleas Judge Christopher Rothgery and Domestic Relations Judge Sherry Glass also have pulled petitions to run for re-election as Democrats this year, Adams said. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. Follow him @daveobrienCT on Twitter.