YOUNGSTOWN — Common Pleas Court Judge R. Scott Krichbaum, the longest-serving elected officeholder in Mahoning County, has filed for his sixth — and final — term on the bench.

Krichbaum turned in nominating petitions Friday with the board of elections to run in the March 17, 2020, Republican primary. Dec. 18 is the deadline to file for the primary.

“I’m truly looking forward to running,” he said. “I’ve been there a long time. I thought I came to the job pretty well prepared. I became a better judge from when I started. I’m excited about the opportunity to serve another term. I think I’m good at it. I’ve been able to maintain the best docket since the mid-90s.”

Krichbaum was first elected a common pleas court judge in 1990 to a six-year term. He was re-elected in 1996, 2002, 2008 and 2014. Krichbaum was a prominent defense attorney before he was elected judge.

The last time he faced opposition was in 2002 when he beat James Callen by 56 percentage points.

“I’m the most experienced,” Krichbaum said. “I’ve been here longer than anyone (elected to office) in the county.”

Krichbaum, 67, will be 69 years old at the start of his next term, should he be re-elected. The 2020 general election is Nov. 3. If he is re-elected, Krichbaum’s term starts Feb. 9, 2021.

He won’t be able to run for judge in 2026 because of the state’s age limit for judges. You can’t run for a judicial office in Ohio if you’re more than 70 years old.

“In my opinion, there should not be an age limit for judges,” Krichbaum said. “There aren’t age limits for other elected offices in Ohio but judge. There’s no particular objectivity to it.”

As for turning in his petitions early, Krichbaum said: “If you plan to run, you take care of business and you file.”

He becomes the second Mahoning County officeholder to file for re-election.

Sheriff Jerry Greene, a Democrat, filed a couple of weeks ago, seeking his third four-year term.

dskolnick@tribtoday.com