That’s what Hanna has applied to Fairfield Municipal Court since he was appointed to a 90-day term, replacing Judge Joyce Campbell, who retired Oct. 31 after 25 years on the bench.
Hanna is maintaining both the specialized mental health and OVI substance abuse dockets established by Campbell. He’s only made a few minor scheduling changes to honor commitments made prior to being appointed.
“I’m not here to reinvent the wheel. I’m not here to change things dramatically,’’ he said. “My desire, my goal, is not to make big changes. It’s status quo.”
The staff agrees with that approach, said Liza Kotlarsic, court administrator.
“We’re still able to continue daily operations. We’re not making any long-term plans — we’re waiting to see who wins the election (next) November,” Kotlarsic said.
Hanna retired from the Kettering Municipal Court at the end of December 2014. Since then, he’s served as a retired visiting judge on appointment in 12-13 jurisdictions.
“I really enjoyed being a judge. I was one for 15 years and I wanted to continue doing it so I put my name in,” said Hanna, 77.
“I enjoy it. You get to interact with people. Municipal courts are often as the people’s court. You interact directly with the people.”
Those who come before him in court often do not have lawyers. He enjoys talking with them directly.
“The people for municipal court who come in – for the most part – are really decent people. (They may have made an) error in judgement, weren’t paying attention…They’re not evil, they’re not nasty. I take that into account when dealing with folks.”
Hanna’s appointment runs through Jan. 31. If Gov. DeWine doesn’t appoint someone to complete Campbell’s term, the Ohio Supreme Court would make another 90-day assignment. It may or may not be Hanna.
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