Two Republicans who were appointed to vacant Hamilton County Municipal Court judgeships were elected to fill out the terms Tuesday.
With 100 percent of the vote counted in the 4th Municipal Court district, Judge Curt Kissinger rolled over Democrat Shane Herzner. Kissinger took 72 percent of the unofficial vote, while Herzner had 28 percent.
In the other 4th District race, Judge Josh Berkowitz defeated a fellow former Norwood law director in Democrat Bob Kelly. Berkowitz had 56 percent of the vote to 44 percent for Kelly.
The vacancies came about because last fall, Municipal Court Judge Russell Mock, a Republican, was elected to the Ohio 1st District Court of Appeals over another municipal court judge, Democrat Fanon Rucker.
Also last fall, Common Pleas Court Judge Ralph E. Winkler, a Republican, was elected to Hamilton County’s probate court judgeship over Charlie Luken, a Democrat.
That left two vacancies for Ohio Gov. John Kasich to fill by appointment, using a list of possible candidates submitted by the Hamilton County Republican Party.
In February, Kasich appointed Kissinger to the judgeship left open by Mock’s election to the appeals court. Then, in April, the governor appointed Josh Berkowitz, an assistant Hamilton County prosecutor, to Shanahan’s former seat on the municipal court.
Both races were in District 4 which includes Anderson Township, Newtown, Mt. Washington, Mt. Lookout, Columbia-Tusculum, Hyde Park, Oakley, Fairfax, Mariemont, Norwood, Mt. Adams, and the southeast portion of downtown Cincinnati.