It will be Solon Democrat versus Solon Democrat in the Bedford Municipal Court Judge’s primary race on May 2, with two local lawyers vying to fill the seat of current Municipal Court Judge Brian Melling, also of Solon, who is no longer able to serve on the court due to aging out of the position.
The state of Ohio requires judges to step down from the bench after they reach their 70th birthdays.
As a result of this open seat on the bench, two Democrats, Nicholas Papa and Robert Pelunis, entered the primary race by the Feb. 1 deadline.
Nicholas Papa has served for the past 17 years as acting judge and magistrate of the Bedford Municipal Court. He said that he is running for the judge position because he has the hands-on experience of serving as a judge in the Bedford Municipal Court since 2005. As an acting judge, Mr. Papa has heard both civil and criminal cases. He said he also has experience in rendering decisions and providing sentencing. Mr. Papa said he believes there is another side to being a judge and that is to “be a positive influence on the defendants’ lives.”
He said he plans to introduce a program that reaches out to youth in the area to let them know that decisions have consequences that can affect your life.
He said that when he heard the position was opening on the bench, he knew this was the right decision for him to run. He added that he is well-acquainted with the Bedford Municipal Court, its staff and its workings, through his 17-year tenure there.
Mr. Papa is a Kent State University graduate and received his law degree from Ohio Northern University. He grew up in Maple Heights, and has also served as a professor at Ursuline College and Cuyahoga Community College, where he taught law courses. Mr. Papa and his wife of 29 years, Jackie, reside in Solon and are the parents of three adult children. They also have two grandchildren.
Solon lawyer and Ward 2 City Councilman Robert Pelunis announced his bid for Bedford Municipal Court Judge, saying his years of defending clients in the Bedford court and his desire to bring “a sense of fairness,” to this role are the reasons he is seeking his party’s endorsement. He said he also believes his familiarity with the area served by the Bedford Court through representing clients from all those communities makes him well-acquainted with the court.
Mr. Pelunis, who is an independent attorney in Solon, is also a graduate of Solon High School, Ohio University and received his law degree from the Cleveland Marshall School of Law. He resides in Solon, and has served on the Solon City Council since 2003. He said he would step down from his city council role if elected.
The Bedford Municipal Court serves Bedford, Bedford Heights, Bentleyville, Chagrin Falls, Chagrin Falls Township, Glenwillow, Highland Hills, Moreland Hills, North Randall Oakwood, Orange, Solon, Warrensville Heights and Woodmere.
Current Bedford Municipal Court Judge Brian Melling, a Bedford High School graduate, is a Mount Union College graduate, and received his law degree from Ohio Northern University School of Law in 1974. In 1976, Judge Melling was appointed as City of Bedford Law Director, and served in that role until his election to the bench of the Bedford Municipal Court in 2000.
Judge Melling also served as the Assistant Law Director for the City of Solon from 1989-1997. He will step down from the Bedford Court at the end of 2023.
Judge Michelle Paris also serves the Bedford Municipal Court, and her seat is not up for election this year.
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