Shaver pulls out of judicial race
By TAMARIA L. KULEMEKA
The Eagle-Gazette Staff
tkulemeka@nncogannett.com
PICKERINGTON - Mayor David Shaver will not run for Fairfield County Common Pleas Court Domestic Relations Judge.
Shaver made the announcement at Pickerington's City Council meeting Tuesday. Shaver first announced his candidacy in November at a Fairfield County Northwest Republican Club meeting. He said there are several reasons why he is abandoning his candidacy.
''Campaigning is difficult in the best of circumstances, and in this particular county and city, campaigns are usually vicious and involve a great deal of personal attacks,'' Shaver said.
Shaver, who got divorced last year, doesn't want his personal life becoming a campaign issue.
''I don't want to put my family through a harsh political process,'' he said.
There's also more work to be done in the city of Pickerington, Shaver added.
''I thought we were further along in where I would like to see the city be,'' he said. ''Politics in this town are still engaged in the personal rather than a policy level. I would like to spend the next two years seeing what I can do to raise the level of discourse in this town, to see what we can do to talk about policy rather than spend all our energy fighting with each other.''
Shaver was one of three candidates who announced their candidacy for judge's seat.
The other two candidates are Kathy Mowry, the former supervising attorney for the Fairfield County Job & Family Services Child Support Enforcement Agency; and Laura Smith, a magistrate for the Domestic Relations Court. Mowry and Smith will run in the Republican primary election on May 2.
The Fairfield County Republican party supports Shaver in his current role, said Steve Davis, chairman of the Fairfield County Republican Executive Committee.
''A number of folks from the Pickerington area were concerned about losing him as mayor if he were to run and successfully obtain the judgeship,'' Davis said. ''From our vantage point, the party supports him in his position as mayor, and we will look forward to him continuing that service. Ms. Mowry and Ms. Smith both appear to be very qualified, and that should be an exciting primary.''
The current Domestic Relations Court judge, S. Farrel Jackson, is prevented from running for re-election because of reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.
Interested persons still have until Feb. 16 to file candidacy for the position with the Fairfield County Board of Elections.
By TAMARIA L. KULEMEKA
The Eagle-Gazette Staff
tkulemeka@nncogannett.com
PICKERINGTON - Mayor David Shaver will not run for Fairfield County Common Pleas Court Domestic Relations Judge.
Shaver made the announcement at Pickerington's City Council meeting Tuesday. Shaver first announced his candidacy in November at a Fairfield County Northwest Republican Club meeting. He said there are several reasons why he is abandoning his candidacy.
''Campaigning is difficult in the best of circumstances, and in this particular county and city, campaigns are usually vicious and involve a great deal of personal attacks,'' Shaver said.
Shaver, who got divorced last year, doesn't want his personal life becoming a campaign issue.
''I don't want to put my family through a harsh political process,'' he said.
There's also more work to be done in the city of Pickerington, Shaver added.
''I thought we were further along in where I would like to see the city be,'' he said. ''Politics in this town are still engaged in the personal rather than a policy level. I would like to spend the next two years seeing what I can do to raise the level of discourse in this town, to see what we can do to talk about policy rather than spend all our energy fighting with each other.''
Shaver was one of three candidates who announced their candidacy for judge's seat.
The other two candidates are Kathy Mowry, the former supervising attorney for the Fairfield County Job & Family Services Child Support Enforcement Agency; and Laura Smith, a magistrate for the Domestic Relations Court. Mowry and Smith will run in the Republican primary election on May 2.
The Fairfield County Republican party supports Shaver in his current role, said Steve Davis, chairman of the Fairfield County Republican Executive Committee.
''A number of folks from the Pickerington area were concerned about losing him as mayor if he were to run and successfully obtain the judgeship,'' Davis said. ''From our vantage point, the party supports him in his position as mayor, and we will look forward to him continuing that service. Ms. Mowry and Ms. Smith both appear to be very qualified, and that should be an exciting primary.''
The current Domestic Relations Court judge, S. Farrel Jackson, is prevented from running for re-election because of reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.
Interested persons still have until Feb. 16 to file candidacy for the position with the Fairfield County Board of Elections.
