O'Leary, Ronald J. H.
Candidate for Judge, Cleveland Municipal Court Unexpired Term Ending 1/2/08
Biographical Information
Address:
4110 Franklin Blvd.
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
Current Occupation:
Judge, Cleveland Municipal Court
Education:
Miami University B.A. 1993; Miami University M.A. 1994; CWRU School of Law J.D. 1997
Please answer the following questions in no more than 300 words.
1. Why are you the best candidate for office?
My judicial philosophy makes me the best candidate for this office: treat everyone with respect and get to the root of the problem. In a court that is as busy as Cleveland Municipal Court, a judge could easily think that the workload is a pile of files on the bench each day. I do not do that. As judge, I make sure to remember that every file in court has a person with it. Regardless whether the person is a defendant, a victim, or a witness, being in court is the most important event in the day. For that reason, each person deserves to have the court be respectful and informative. In addition to treating everyone with respect, I also have to get to the root of the problem that lead the person to be in court. Sometimes the defendant is there because of drug or alcohol abuse. Other times may be related to a mental disability or emotional problems. And still other situations may be related to lack of education and training. For each case, I find out why the person became involved in criminal activity and try to craft a solution that protects the public and gets the defendant out of the cycle of criminal activity. This is a simple judicial philosophy, but an effective one that has a goal of improving our community one case-and one person-at a time. It is a philosophy that makes me the best candidate for office.
2. If elected or re-elected, what are your top three (3) priorities and why?
If I retain my position as judge, my top three priorities will be community outreach, community service, and reaching out to children in our community. Community outreach is important because many people do not understand how the court works. There can a mystery about the judicial process where people do not know the court's procedures or reasons for its actions. By going into the community and answering questions people have, I put a face on the court and explain how the court operates. That makes the court more accessible-and less intimidating-for people when they interact with the court. In addition to making the court more accessible to Cleveland and Bratenahl's citizens, I have focused on work service during my time as a judge. I review all the facts for each case when making a decision on what type of sentence to impose. There are times that fines or jail is appropriate, but work service often is a way for those who are convicted to give back to the community. The work is performed many times in the area where the person committed the offense, so the people who suffered the harm most directly receive the benefits from the work service.
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