For clarification there is no mandate for me to participate in the 2019 Judge4Yourself endorsement process, it’s optional. In 2018, a consulting firm determined Judge4Yourself to be bias in its scoring of attorneys of color ESPECIALLY the women of color. The findings for Judge4Yourself was so disturbing that MANY African American women candidates are refusing to participate UNTIL they address their internal issues. These issues are currently being addressed BUT their (Judge4Yourself) process is not complete. They have replaced the entire founding body but the grading process of the judicial candidates is still shrouded in secrecy as it relates to the candidates themselves, not the public. Any endorsements a candidate seek is ALWAYS optional. IN FACT some of the UNION endorsements I wasn’t invited to.

I participated in both Judge4Yourself and Plain Dealer’s endorsements in 2017. They both were time consuming with completing the questionnaire and attending the interviews. In 2017, no one in my Judge4Yourself interview asked me any questions regarding Housing Court OR questions off my questionnaire. I suspect many had no clue what Cleveland Housing Court dealt with as many were criminal defense attorneys. BOTH organizations gave my opponent glowing mentions and barely mentioned anything about me. I could go further into how I felt both organizations were imbalanced with their treatment of me...no need. WHY WOULD I PARTICIPATE IN JUDGE4YOURSELF 2019. WHEN THEY WILL CHANGE THE PROCESS IN 2020??? The process that has been determined to be bias and unfair.

The Plain Dealer showed me exactly where their intention were in 2019, when Naymik called me AT MY CUYAHOGA COUNTY PROSECUTOR JOB during office hours to ask me about my fundraiser. That call was to get me to talk politics while I was at work. He eventually told me that it was the Cuyhoga County Land Reutilization Corporation (aka the County Land Bank) that informed him that the owners of the place where my HOST COMMITTEE held my fundraiser owed back property taxes, not on the property where the fundraiser was held but on other properties UNDER OTHER NAMES. He tried to create a duty that I NOR ANY OTHER JUDICIAL CANDIDATE is under a duty to do. I didn’t bother reading his article because we know he attacks minorities and notoriously misquote anything said to how. Of course he never wrote me saying “You will not create a duty for me to investigate outstanding taxes on properties where I hold my fundraiser, where there is NO DUTY TO DO THIS!”

I want people to know that to say you will not vote for someone because they didn’t participate in Judge4Yourself is you asserting your privilege. It’s you letting a group determine who’s the better candidate without you determining for yourself. If I’m out speaking and you have an opportunity to ask me questions in person about my platform, about my ideology, about my belief of criminal justice reform, DO SO! I don’t just fill in a questionnaire and attend a interview and wait on ratings. I attend Ward Clubs, street clubs, block clubs, community groups, senior meetings and all sorts of outreaches. Talking to hundreds of people, listening to their concerns, pouring knowledge about resources that so many people didn’t know existed...is what I do REGARDLESS of the Election Day outcome.

There are needs on the bench that haven’t been met. The Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corporation tentacles shouldn’t be deeply imbedded into Housing Court and my participation in 2019 Judge4Yourself and Plain Dealer shouldn’t be a main determination on who you vote for.