Dusza defeats Riddle

SANDUSKY — In a landslide victory, Republican voters overwhelmingly sided with a court magistrate to become the newest judge for Erie County Common Pleas Court. Unofficial results from Tuesday's election show Tom Dusza receiving almost 80% of the total vote in this GOP primary, soundly defeating his lone challenger, Loretta Riddle. Come February, Dusza will succeed the judge he is currently working for — Judge Beverly McGookey — and begin his six-year term on the bench. McGookey is stepping down due to age limitations that stipulate that a judge cannot seek re-election after age 70. Normally, a judge wouldn't be declared until a general election in November. But no Democrat submitted petitions to run for this office. Additionally, those from other parties, including Libertarians or independents, did not file. A write-in candidate could run; however, it's statistically improbable that this person could win due to Dusza's party affiliation backing him. Decades of experience Dusza previously told the Register about his plan to leverage his extensive legal expertise to drive innovation and modernization in the court while ensuring financial responsibility. "I seek to implement programming and efficiencies that I see as needed and overdue to best serve the community," Dusza said. "I have extensive experience with 27 years in private practice, handling a variety of cases for people who represent a spectrum of persons in the community." In addition to his 27 years of private practice, Dusza mentioned he has eight and a half years of training as a magistrate in common pleas court, along with eight and a half years of experience and training as a court administrator. "I have a strong desire to serve the community in which I have built a lengthy career in law and in which I have raised my family," Dusza said. "I believe I can best protect the rights of vulnerable individuals who come before the court and possess the judicial temperament to apply the letter of the law in a fair and firm manner." Erie County Court of Common Pleas (1 wins) • Thomas M. Dusza: 4,536 • Loretta Riddle: 1,148 Note: According to unofficial results Source: Erie County Board of Elections