Some are questioning whether Gov. Ted Strickland is breaking his promise to avoid politics in picking judges after his latest round of judicial appointments this week:
Laurel Beatty, 34, and Kim Cocroft, 35, the two new Franklin County judges, have limited experience in civil cases and no criminal-trial experience. Both are Democrats, as is Strickland. ...
Strickland passed over more experienced lawyers, such as Mark A. Serrott, Frank Macke and Mike Rankin, for the job, which pays $121,350 annually. Serrott, for example, has been practicing law for 29 years in Franklin County. Macke, a lawyer for 36 years, ran unsuccessfully for Common Pleas Court in 2006. (The Columbus Dispatch, 2/26/09)
