Tuesday, March 02, 1999
4 in running for Butler bench
GOP will select nominee for Taft
BY STEVE KEMME
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HAMILTON — A municipal court judge and three lawyers are competing for an appointment to a vacancy on the Butler County common pleas bench.
Fairfield Municipal Court Judge Keith Spaeth, Hamilton lawyer Craig Hedric and Middletown lawyers Jeff Milbauer and Gary Kaup are being considered by the Butler County Republican Party's executive committee for Judge Anthony Valen's seat.
Judge Valen was elected in November to a seat on the Ohio 12th District Court of Appeals in Middletown.
The GOP's screening committee has given Judge Spaeth and Mr. Milbauer “highly recommended” ratings, and Mr. Kaup and Mr. Hedric “recommended” ratings, said Marilyn Hatfield, the party's executive director.
A fifth candidate, Hamilton lawyer Brian Grevey, withdrew before the screening committee's interviews.
The party's full executive committee is scheduled to meet March 24 at D. Russel Lee Career Center in Fairfield Township to decide which candidate to recommend to Gov. Bob Taft.
To earn the committee's recommendation, a candidate needs 60 percent of the votes. The committee has 402 voting members.
In December, the party recommended Steve Hollon, then the administrator of the Ohio 2nd District Court of Ap peals in Dayton, for Judge Valen's spot. But Mr. Hollon withdrew his candidacy last month to become administrative director with the Ohio Supreme Court.
Visiting Judge George Elliott, a retired Butler County judge, has been appointed to handle some of Judge Valen's cases. This will help ease the burden for the other four judges until Mr. Taft names a replacement to fill out the rest of Judge Valen's term.
Whoever is named to replace him can run for election in November 2000.
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