


Judge Mary Jane Trapp
Anyone spending more than three minutes in a room with Judges Diane Grendell, Colleen O'Toole and Mary Jane Trapp would have no trouble figuring out which of the three is by far the most talented.
But that gigantic talent gap hasn't stopped Grendell, and to a lesser extent O'Toole, from using their lofty positions to behave like petty ward heelers in an attempt to discredit Trapp, their much-brighter judicial colleague and an announced candidate for the Ohio Supreme Court.
In the midst of what smells like a conspiracy to smear Trapp is the Ohio Republican Party, crowing over a court filing in which Grendell condemns Trapp for lacking civility and promoting a "them vs. us" judicial climate. But I have obtained internal court e-mails that clearly show that when it comes to a lack of judicial civility, Grendell has problems of her own.
Grendell, O'Toole and Trapp are three of the five judges who sit on the 11th District Ohio Court of Appeals, which reviews cases decided by trial courts in Lake, Geauga, Portage and Trumbull counties.
There the similarities end.
Trapp, 53, serving in her first term, is clearly that court's brightest star. She is a former president of the Ohio State Bar Association and in two judicial campaigns won the highest ratings possible from her bar association peers. In a 2004 endorsement, The Plain Dealer concluded, "Trapp is precisely the kind of level-headed, thoughtful, experienced lawyer who ought to be on the appellate bench" -- a candidate "with enormous potential to excel."
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Governor Strickland appoints Kathy Leavenworth to the Ohio State School Board
Kathy Leavenworth with Gov. Strickland at the Governor's residence in Bexely, Ohio this summer
Kathy Leavenworth, of Russell, currently serves as a member of the West Geauga Schools Board of Education. She has served in this position since being elected in 1979, including serving as the board president from 1979-2002. She has also served as the legislative liaison and as the chair of several bond and levy campaigns.