Three vie for Sandusky Co. bench
Editor's Note: To help our readers become more informed voters, The Clyde Enterprise will publish brief information on candidates in contested political races that will appear on the Nov. 4 ballot. Candidates were sent questionnaires. Following is information on the three candidates running for the Sandusky County Common Pleas Court Judge, Barbara Ansted, Roger Hafford and David Dorobek.
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Barbara J. Ansted, 59, resides at 2613 CR 82, Lindsey. An attorney, she is currently mediator for the Sandusky County Common Pleas Court.
Ansted is a 1967 graduate of Maumee High School and received her bachelor of arts degree in 1971 from Wittenberg University. She received her juris doctorate degree in 1978 from Pepperdine University Law School. She has also received basic and advanced mediation training and domestic violence issues and child protection training.
Ansted was married to William Ansted (deceased June 8, 2008) and they had two children, Allison (deceased June 8, 2008) and Andrew, 20. She is a member of the Optimist Club of Fremont; Homes/Casas Inc. (board member for 26 years); the Sandusky County Bar Association for 29 years; the farm bureau; NAACP; Farm Council for 29 years; and the Zion Lutheran Church, Gibsonburg, where she is in the choir.
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David Anthony Dorobek, 49, resides at 438 N. Stone Street, Fremont. He is a magistrate in the Sandusky County Common Pleas Court.
Dorobeck is a 1977 graduate of Fremont Ross High School and earned a bachelor of science degree in journalism from Ohio University in 1981. He received his juris doctorate from the University of Toledo College of Law in 1985 and graduated from American University Washington College of Law in 1994.
Dorobek is married to Debbie and they have six children, Jeremy, 21, Alayna, 17, Harrison, 15, Nick, 9, Aaron, 8, and Mason, 5. He is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association; the Sandusky County Bar Association (president); the Ohio Association of Magistrates; the Fremont Kiwanis Club (vice president); Otis PTO (vice president); Sand Otter Swim Boosters; and Cub Scout Pack 312 adult volunteer.
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Roger W. Hafford, 61, resides at 2303 Buckland Ave., Fremont. He was appointed by Governor Ted Strickland as Sandusky County Common Pleas Court judge earlier this year to replace the retiring James Sherck. He was the law director for the City of Fremont from 1978-91 and was Fremont's municipal prosecutor from 1981-91.
Hafford is a 1965 graduate of Fremont Ross High School and earned his bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University in 1970 where he received his master's degree in 1972. He received his juris doctorate from the University of Toledo College of Law in 1976.
Hafford has two children, Jennifer Riddle, 37, and Nicholas Hafford, 30; and two grandchildren. He is a member of the Fremont Area Foundation; the Ohio State Bar Association; the American Bar Association; the Sandusky County Bar Association; is a seventh grade boys' basketball coach; and is a member of St. Ann's Church.
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Why are you seeking the office?
"I have the qualifications and background that will best serve the community. My motivation to be judge is that I want to serve the people of Sandusky County and give back to the county that has given so much to me and my family. I am known for my strong work ethic, and will render timely decisions. The guilty will be punished to insure a safe community. The innocent will be protected to promote fairness and generate respect," said Ansted.
"As a full-time magistrate of the court since 2004, I am the most-qualified candidate in terms of experience. I want to give back to the community that has been my home since birth," said Dorobek.
"The 31 years of legal experience has prepared me for the important task of dispensing the duties of Common Pleas Judge," said Hafford.
What are the top three goals if elected?
"1. To improve the relations of the court with other branches of the county government, and with law enforcement agencies. 2. To research grants to provide services to the public at less cost. 3. To be pro-active and not stay with the status quo concerning safety issues in the county," said Ansted.
"1. Improve the court's accessibility to pro se litigants. 2. Expand the civil mediation program to include foreclosure actions. 3. Modernize the courtroom for the digital age," said Dorobek.
"1. Efficiently moving the approximate 1,450 cases each year. 2. Stemming the approximate 300 foreclosure sales each year in Sandusky County. 3. Fairly administrating justice to all parties who come before me," said Hafford.
How will you work to accomplish them?
"I have the training in grant writing and will search out programs and grants that may apply to our county. I will have regular meetings with other public officials and law enforcement personnel to keep lines of communication open. If I see a trend in case filings, such as foreclosure cases, I will look for ways to handle them that will achieve positive results, such as using mediation for such cases," said Ansted.
"1. Create a set of standardized forms made available to the public on the court's website along with a series of instructional DVDs on loan at the law library. 2. Implement the Ohio Supreme Court's model foreclosure mediation program and use the newly enacted House Bill 138 to require lenders to appear at the mediation. 3. Work with the Clerk of Courts to create a system of electronic notices to attorneys to reduce the cost of paper and postage and to explore the possibility of grant funding for equipment purchases," said Dorobek.
"1. Constantly updating my docket to ensure that cases are decided in an expeditious manner. 2. I have implemented a foreclosure mediation program," said Hafford.
What are the biggest issues facing the office you are running for?
"The court is facing criticism lately for not rendering timely decisions. It is important to generate respect for the court that decisions are rendered so that parties can move on with their lives. Respect for the public generates respect for the court. Also, recently some criminal matters of serious nature have been occurring in the community and they must be handled with proper procedures to insure they will not be reversed on appeal," said Ansted.
"Adequate funding is always the greatest challenge for any court, especially as it needs to keep pace with 21st century technology. But there is also a growing burden with the increase in civil protection actions," said Dorobek.
"The biggest issues facing my office are those facing every judge. That is to fairly and impartially decide each case so the public has confidence in our judicial system," said Hafford.
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