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Columbus Dispatch
Judges who draw 2 checks stir debate
Wednesday, March 14, 2001
Kevin Mayhood
Dispatch Staff Reporter Supporters of a bill that would prohibit judges from receiving full salary and retirement benefits at the same time will testify today at the Statehouse.
Six judges have taken advantage of a loophole created last year that allows the double dipping, Ohio Supreme Court staff members said.
Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer has criticized the judges, none of whom is from Franklin County, for the practice.
"The chief justice doesn't condone it, believes judges should be held to a higher standard and should not be involved,'' said Doug Stephens, director of judicial and court services at the Supreme Court.
The General Assembly adopted a bill that prohibited such a practice in 1996. But an amendment to an omnibus retirement bill adopted last year eliminated the 1996 language, which allowed judges to receive both pays.
That happened because lawmakers were attempting to streamline Ohio laws that cover retired public employees. They created a single set of rules for the state's retirement systems.
The purpose was to encourage recently retired teachers to return to classrooms to help ease a statewide teacher shortage. But it opened the door to judges, too.
Now those who want judges held to limits are backing House Bill 84, which would prohibit elected officials from "retiring and returning to the same office and receiving their retirement and salary,'' said Brian Broad, legislative aide to state Rep. Jean Schmidt. The Loveland Republican is the author of the bill.
Supreme Court officials said that these judges already have retired and returned to work: appellate Judges Peter Handwork of Toledo, Rupert Doan of Cincinnati and Donald Ford of Warren; and Common Pleas Judges Charles Donoghy of Toledo, Ron Suster of Cleveland and Roger Williams of Urbana.
Each of the judges is paid more than $100,000 annually in salary, and most also will receive more than $70,000 a year in pension payments this year.
The only rule governing the payments is that the judge has to wait two months between retiring and returning to work.
That means they can run for office without telling voters they intend to retire. When elected, they retire, then return to work with the new term.
"This is taxpayer money going for salaries and taxpayer money going for retirement,'' said Anna Rankin, legislative aide to Timothy J. Grendell. The Chesterland Republican is scheduled to speak in favor of the bill.
David Palmer -- executive director of the Committee to Expose Dishonest and Incompetent Attorneys and Judges, which he founded -- said the bill doesn't go far enough.
Palmer said more than 100 visiting judges, retired judges who are appointed by the Supreme Court to hear cases and are paid $260 per day, also need to be better regulated.
He said those appointments also amount to double dipping because their stipend pay combined with retirement pay can make them better- paid per hour than sitting judges.
The Committee on Retirement and Aging will host the hearing on House Bill 84 at 10:30 a.m. in Room 122.
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