Now that Governor Mike DeWine appointed Republican Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters to fill a vacancy on the Ohio Supreme Court (OSC), his former long-time position as prosecutor will become vacant on January 7th, 2023, when he is sworn into the OSC.
Throughout his tenure, Deters has gained a reputation in a crucial office for being a “tough on crime” prosecutor, believing in strict punishments for violent crime, including the death penalty, bail reform boundaries, and policing in general.
Currently, Republicans have been circulating four names as potential replacements for the position Melissa Powers, Megan Shanahan, Greg Hartman, and Steve Goodin.
Powers was elected to Hamilton County Juvenile Court for a six-year term that commenced on January 1, 2017. She served as a Hamilton County Municipal Court judge from 2006-2016. During her tenure in Municipal Court, her peers elected her to serve as the presiding judge from 2012-2014.
Shanahan has been a Hamilton County Common Pleas Court judge since January 2015. Before that, she was a Hamilton County Municipal Court judge for four years, served five years as an assistant prosecutor, and began serving five years as a Butler County assistant prosecutor.
Hartman, a former Hamilton County Commissioner, was elected to his first term in January 2009 and was re-elected to a second term in January 2013. He served as the president of the board in 2011 and 2012.
Goodin was a member of the Cincinnati City Council in Ohio. He assumed office on November 30, 2020. He left office on January 4. He ran in a special election for Hamilton County Clerk of Courts in Ohio. He lost in the special general election on November 8th.
The replacement process has unusual facets. The party in power has 45 days to decide on a position replacement. However, they must first wait five days until that window opens. The county commissioners will name an interim prosecutor for those five days. All three commissioners are Democrats.
According to GOP Chairman Alex Triantafilou, it would not be wise for the county commissioners to select someone from their own political party for the interim prosecutor.
“You know, I don’t think that would be wise because we’ll be replacing that Democrat rather quickly. I would hate to see them play politics with that for a window of six, seven, eight days. I think that wouldn’t be appropriate,” Triantafilou said.
Triantafilou is a former judge who began his career as a prosecutor. He will oversee Deter’s replacement process.
At one time, Deters routinely pulled 65 percent of the vote, but not as of late in an increasingly Democratic county.
He was unopposed in 2008 and won easily in 2012 but only by much narrower margins in the last two elections.
Without Deters’ name on the local ballot, some democrats are jockeying to get the nomination on the Democratic side, such as former Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley, who said he is considering running for the position.
“I can’t say yet that I will definitely do it, but it’s something I can see myself doing and I am considering it very seriously,” Cranley said.
According to the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association (OPAA) Ohio’s county prosecutors play a fundamental role in public safety. They prosecute adults and juveniles suspected of felony crimes and delinquent behavior. Additionally, certain county prosecutors in Ohio pursue adult misdemeanor charges. Prosecuting attorneys also advocate for the crime victims and their families.
“There’s no question about it. The county prosecutor sets the tone in this community for public safety,” Triantafilou said.
According to Triantafilou, Republicans interested in applying for Deters’ job must file an application with the party by 4 p.m. on December 30th.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Megan Shanahan” by Judge Megan Shanahan. Photo “Melissa Powers” by Hamilton County Juvenile Court. Background Photo “Hamilton County Courthouse” by Nyttend.
