It was a sad night in the Stevenson house Tuesday, with both the husband and wife losing hard-fought Summit County judicial races.
Summit County Common Pleas Judge Scot Stevenson was defeated by his challenger, Akron Municipal Judge Joy Oldfield, while Diana Stevenson, the Barberton court clerk, lost to Summit County Common Pleas Judge Tom Teodosio in the only contested Ninth District Court of Appeals seat, according to unofficial election results.
“It is not a happy night,” Scot Stevenson said in a phone interview. “It is unfortunate.”
Alison Breaux, an Akron Municipal magistrate, narrowly beat Summit County Common Pleas Judge Todd McKenney.
And in the final contested Summit County judge race — for a Domestic Relations Court seat — Akron Municipal Judge Katarina Cook defeated domestic court Magistrate Ron Cable in a close race for an open seat.
Retirements and the appointment of a judge as a federal magistrate created several open seats this year — and will prompt several judicial shuffles after the election.
Common Pleas Court
The most heated of the Common Pleas races was for an open seat created by the appointment of Tom Parker as a federal magistrate.
Scot Stevenson, a Republican, was appointed to replace Parker earlier this year after Parker was tapped as a federal magistrate. He ran in Tuesday’s election to fill the remainder of Parker’s term that runs through 2020, but faced serious competition, though, from Oldfield, a Democrat.
A Summit County GOP committee sent out a negative campaign mailer about Oldfield, saying she is “unfit for public office.” The ad was in reference to a 2012 scandal involving Oldfield and a public defender that resulted in Oldfield being reprimanded by the Ohio Supreme Court.
Oldfield is a formidable campaigner and raised significantly more than Stevenson. She had raised nearly $130,000 and had another $25,000 on hand, according to the pre-general campaign finance reports. Stevenson, by comparison, had spent no money and had about $14,000 on hand, according to the most-recent reports.
“When you’re outspent, it’s awful hard to win,” Stevenson said.
Oldfield emphasized her experience on the bench — she’s presided over 10,000 cases — in her campaign literature, while Stevenson, a former magistrate, said he is “experienced” and “ethical.”
In the other Common Pleas race, Breaux, a Democrat, scored a surprise victory over McKenney, a Republican. McKenney called her shortly after 11 p.m. to congratulate her.
“I hope she enjoys the work as much as I have,” he said, adding that he was thankful to his supporters and volunteers.
Both candidates raised significant amounts. Breaux spent $76,000 and had about $14,000 still on-hand, while McKenney spent $67,000 and still had nearly $29,000 left, according to campaign finance reports.
Domestic Relations
The retirement of long-time Domestic Relations Judge Carol Dezso prompted the hotly contested race between Cable and Cook, with Cook pulling off the win.
Cable, a Democrat, highlighted his experience — and Cook’s lack of it — in Domestic Relations Court. Cook, a Republican, pointed out her time on the bench as both an Akron Municipal Court judge and magistrate.
Cable outpaced Cook in fundraising. He had spent about $51,000 and had $65,000 still on hand, compared to Cook’s $14,000 expenditure with $16,000 left, according to pre-general reports.
9th District
Two candidates with well-known names — Teodosio and Diana Stevenson — duked it out in the only contested 9th district race, with Teodosio emerging the victor.
The candidates split the four counties in the 9th District, with Teodosio narrowly winning in Lorain and Medina, Stevenson taking Wayne and Teodosio solidly claiming his home town of Summit.
The other two appellate races were uncontested. Judge Donna Carr, who currently sits on the court, got a pass to keep it. Lynne Callahan, currently on the Common Pleas bench, also was unopposed. Both are Republicans.
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705, swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com and on Twitter: @swarsmithabj .