CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Election officials have set the November ballot for a seat on Ohio’s Fourth District Court of Appeals, with Athens Municipal Court Judge Todd L. Grace carrying the Democratic line in place of the late Judge Peter B. Abele.
Grace was chosen at a special meeting Sunday of Democratic Party leaders from the appellate district’s 14 counties to fill the ballot vacancy created by Abele’s death, Grace said in an announcement Monday. Abele, 69, who served on the appellate bench for 36 years after taking office in 1991, died Sept. 25 at his Albany home.
The Ross County Board of Elections certified the new ballot pairing early Monday morning: Grace will face Pickaway County Prosecutor Jayme Fountain in the Nov. 3 general election, with early voting opening Tuesday.
“First and foremost, I extend my deepest condolences to Judge Abele’s loved ones and all those whose lives he touched through his many years of service to Ohio’s judiciary,” Grace said. “I look forward to the opportunity to bring my 24 years of judicial experience to the Court of Appeals and continuing to serve the people of Southern Ohio.”
Sarah Senff, chair of the Ross County Democratic Party, who led the Sunday meeting, said Grace’s decades on the bench make him ready on day one for the appellate court.
Grace is in his 11th year as Athens County Municipal Court judge after 13 years as a magistrate in Athens County Juvenile Court. He chairs the Board of Trustees of the Ohio Judicial College and has served on Ohio Supreme Court task forces on bail and bond reform, according to his biography.
The Fourth District covers Adams, Athens, Gallia, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Vinton and Washington counties.
