Newton Falls Law Director Jeff Limbian filed as an independent for a Mahoning County Common Pleas Court judicial seat while Michael Philip Walton submitted petitions as an independent for the 64th Ohio House District post.

Limbian of Youngstown and Walton of Warren turned in petitions on Monday, the independent filing deadline. Two others filed as independent candidates last week.

Limbian is running for the position now held by Judge John M. Durkin, who is not seeking reelection.

Limbian has unsuccessfully run for office five times — twice for common pleas court judge, twice for Youngstown Municipal Court judge and in 2023 for Youngstown clerk of courts. Except for when he ran as an independent three years ago, Limbian previously filed as a Democrat.

His voting record shows he’s a longtime Democrat, having voted in every Democratic primary since at least 2012 to 2025, except for in 2023, when he ran for clerk of courts.

“I’m a registered Democrat, but I’ve disassociated myself from the Democratic Party,” Limbian said. “I see myself as a centrist independent.”

Common pleas court judges in Ohio don’t run with party affiliation in general elections. But those who emerge as the party’s nominees in the primary often get support from that political party and are included on party mailings and other campaign items.

Before Limbian’s January 2024 hiring as Newton Falls law director, he spent nearly six years as Youngstown law director, which is the longest anyone has served in that position this century.

Limbian has practiced law for 35 years, is an ethics instructor at Youngstown State University and has worked as a magistrate, prosecutor, defense attorney and law director.

“I have the best qualifications for the job so I decided to run,” he said. “I have the best temperament for it.”

Robert Andrews of Boardman, who joined the Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office in 1999, filed last week as an independent for the same seat.

Andrews has handled more than 100 felony trials in the county, including 50 homicides, and serves as the grand jury and drug task force assistant prosecutor. Before working for the Mahoning prosecutor, Andrews spent five years working for the Portage County Prosecutor’s Office and three years in private practice.

Andrews, in his 37th year as an attorney, said: “I’ve wanted to be a judge since I was in law school. I feel I am the most qualified candidate for this position so I felt this was the time to do it. I have the experience to do the job. I know how common pleas court works and how trials work and it’s time I used my experience.”

Andrews applied in 2014 to fill the unexpired term of James C. Evans of common pleas court. Then-Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, appointed Shirley Christian to the vacancy.

Andrews is a registered Democrat, voting in the party’s 2024, 2018, 2014 and 2012 primaries, according to Mahoning County Board of Elections records.

Andrews said: “I’ve always felt that judges — though most have political ties — need to be fair and impartial and shouldn’t let party loyalty get in the way. I ran as an independent because I didn’t want to be tied to either party, not that I would be influenced.”

Andrews said he voted as a Democrat because Paul J. Gains, the former longtime Mahoning prosecutor who hired him in 1999, is a Democrat.

The Mahoning elections board has to certify that Limbian and Andrews have enough valid signatures to qualify for the Nov. 3 ballot. An independent candidate running in Mahoning County needs 869 valid signatures, which is 1% of the total votes in the last gubernatorial election.

Today’s Republican primary for Durkin’s seat pits Anissa Modarelli against Ralph Rivera. Both are assistant county prosecutors. J. Michael Thompson, an attorney and Poland Village Council president, is running unopposed for the seat in the Democratic primary.

Polling locations in Ohio are open today from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

TRUMBULL COUNTY

In Trumbull County, the only independent candidates to file by Monday’s deadline are Walton for the 64th House District seat and Chris Becker of Champion for the common pleas court judicial post now held by Cynthia Westcott.

Walton, an attorney for 10 years who spent the past year as the director of legal services and chief legal counsel for Trumbull County Children Services, filed to challenge state Rep. Nick Santucci, R-Niles, who is running for his third two-year term in the House.

Until Walton filed, Santucci, who is running unopposed in today’s Republican primary, didn’t have a challenger. No Democrat filed for the seat.

Walton, who is also a public defender in Trumbull County Central District Court, still needs to get his candidacy certified by the county board of elections.

Walton needs 417 valid signatures. He turned in petitions with 625 signatures.

Walton said: “We have many issues facing this community regarding the cost of living, including property taxes to basic grocery costs. I’m not seeing any solutions coming from either party. Instead, I see two parties that are fighting for their own interests and not the community. We need to make life more affordable. By not having a party affiliation, it will give me the freedom to vote in the best interests of the people.”

The district includes Warren, Howland, Niles, Weathersfield, Bristol, Champion, Farmington, West Farmington, Leavittsburg, Newton, Newton Falls, Lordstown and Warren Township.

Walton is a registered Republican, who last voted in the 2024 GOP primary.

“I lean conservative, but we have a history in our Valley of thinking independently,” Walton said. “Our community needs to think independently because partisanship doesn’t serve us well.”

Becker, Trumbull County’s first assistant prosecutor who filed last week, said: “I’m running for judge because our community deserves a court that is guided by law, not just politics. Judges should be independent, impartial and committed to the safety of our community.”

Westcott had filed to run for reelection — switching her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican — and then withdrew as a candidate.

Becker is a longtime registered Democrat who ran as the political party’s nominee in 2024 for a different common pleas court seat. Becker lost by 1.34% to Republican Sarah Thomas Kovoor.

Two Republicans are running in today’s primary for that party’s nomination. They are Devon Stanley, a Liberty trustee and Trumbull County deputy clerk of courts, and Mary Ellen Ditchey, Westcott’s magistrate. Stanley was recently indicted on a felonious assault charge and has pleaded not guilty.

Because of Westcott’s late decision to switch parties, Democrats didn’t field a candidate for the judicial spot.

Becker needs at least 739 valid signatures to qualify for the Nov. 3 ballot.

Independent candidates running countywide in Mahoning and Trumbull haven’t met with much success, though few have filed.

The last independent to win a countywide election in either county is Mahoning Probate Court Judge Robert N. Rusu Jr. in 2020.

Rusu was initially appointed to the seat in July 2014 by Kasich after Rusu had already filed as an independent for the position. Rusu won the 2014 general election by 3.5% over Democrat Susan Maruca and ran six years later, again as an independent, beating Republican David L. Engler by 3.8%.

After two close elections, Rusu filed this year as a Republican and is running unopposed.