YOUNGSTOWN — Republicans Kathleen Bartlett and Mark DeVicchio face off in the May 5 primary for Mahoning County Domestic Relations judge, a seat longtime Domestic Relations Judge Beth Smith will vacate at the end of the year because of the state’s age limit for judges.

Smith was the first woman elected judge in Mahoning County when she won a county area court race in 1988.

The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat attorney Terry Grenga in the November general election. In Ohio, common pleas court judges, including candidates for domestic relations judge, run in political partisan primaries and then without party affiliation in general elections.

BARTLETT

Bartlett, of Rosemont Court in North Jackson, was a magistrate in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court, Domestic Relations division, until then-Ohio Gov. John Kasich appointed her in March 2018 to fill a vacant seat on the 7th District Court of Appeals.

Bartlett lost in the November 2018 election to Democrat David D’Apolito to retain the 7th District seat. She has worked in her own private practice law firm since 2019, according to her candidate questionnaire.

She earned her law degree at Cleveland State University after earning her bachelor’s degree in political science from Miami University of Ohio in 1990. She also worked in private practice in a Salem law firm from July 1997 until February 2006, focusing on domestic relations, divorce, dissolution, custody, child support, domestic violence, civil protection orders and adoption. She also served as Columbiana County Bar Association Ethics and Grievance Committee member as investigator from 1998 to 2001. She was assistant Salem law director from January 1996 to July 1997.

She is a lifelong resident of Mahoning County, graduating from South Range and has lived in North Jackson since 2005.

She presided over thousands of domestic relations cases as magistrate for over 12 years, saying she prided herself on “running an efficient and user-friendly court.” She represented thousands of clients in domestic-relations court during her time as private attorney, she stated. “My opponents simply do not have the length or depth of judicial experience that I will bring to the job on Day One,” she added.

“The Domestic Relations Court hears divorces, custody cases, child support and domestic violence civil protection orders,” Bartlett stated. “As you can imagine, those are generally not happy cases. People come before (domestic relations) court in the worst times of their lives. They are heartbroken, angry, oftentimes in financial difficulties. And unfortunately abuse and domestic violence are issues far too often. Divorce and custody issues are truly traumatic for all involved, especially the minor children,” she stated.

“In domestic relations cases, the judge … has to listen to the unique facts of each … case and make distinct decisions in that case, understanding how that decision will impact spouses, parents and children,” Barlett stated. “The Legislature has set … factors that we need to consider, but it is up to the judge to determine how much weight to give any factor.”

She said the Mahoning County Domestic Relations Court has a $1.6 million budget with about $1 million of that being for employee salaries.

Bartlett stated, “We need a domestic relations judge who will strive to reduce the high conflict inherent in domestic relations cases and make sure that the “parents, spouses and children are not further traumatized by the court system. We need a judge who will streamline court procedures and make the courts accessible for all.”

DEVICCHIO

DeVicchio, of Greenfield Drive in Boardman, was a self-employed attorney from November 1991 to March 2016, and then joined the Betras-Kopp law firm. He earned his law degree from the Cleveland Marshall College of Law after earning a bachelor’s degree in English from John Carroll University in 1988.

DeVecchio said his “philosophy on life is rooted in the lessons my grandparents, parents and aunts and uncles taught me at the family dinner table. They taught me, and I believe to this day that family is everything and that caring for kids is the most important job any of us will ever do.”

He stated in materials he provided for this election that “those lessons played a big part in my decision to become a domestic relations attorney. I could think of no better calling than to use the law to help families deal with the most challenging times of their lives. For the past 35 years, that’s exactly what I’ve done.

“During that time, thousands of people trusted me to represent them. Many were distressed, angry, scared and depressed when we met. I told them that although the breakup of their family was a life-altering event, it did not have to be life shattering because Ohio’s domestic relations courts were designed to provide fair, efficient and compassionate legal resolutions to family disputes,” he stated.

“I assured them that if they put their faith in the system, they would soon be able to move on with their lives. Unfortunately, I can no longer give my clients that assurance because today many litigants and their attorneys are not interested in seeking equitable settlements. Instead, they are willing to do or say anything to win,” he stated.

“Sadly, it is now commonplace for one party to hurl false allegations of domestic violence, child abuse and other unspeakable behavior at the other simply to achieve a victory that will leave all involved, including children, scarred for life,” DeVicchio stated.

He made the decision to run for Mahoning County domestic relations judge “because I cannot stand by and allow this distressing and perilous situation to continue,” he said.

As domestic relations judge, DeVicchio stated that he will “use my extensive knowledge and unparalleled experience to restore civility, decorum and respect for the rule of law” to the domestic relations court and “end procedural delays that needlessly increase anxiety, acrimony and attorneys’ fees.”

In that way, he plans to help families “navigate life transitions — such as the termination of a marriage — by reaching just, fair and compassionate resolutions to parenting and property disputes in accordance with the law,” he stated.