CINCINNATI — Public safety is one of the central issues ahead of next week's election, and while the mayoral race is getting a lot of attention — so are the races for Hamilton County Municipal Judge.
The majority of the municipal judge races, which are split among districts one through seven, are uncontested. Five districts are running unopposed, but two districts will have contested races on the ballot.
District 4, which makes up Anderson Township, Norwood and other east side neighborhoods, is voting between Josh Berkowitz and Danielle Cary Colliver. District 5, which makes up Evendale, Indian Hill, Blue Ash, Montgomery and other nearby neighborhoods, is voting between Athena E. Stefanou and Betsy Sundermann.
WATCH: What voters are saying about public safety and the role of judges in the justice system
Phillip Moore, a Norwood resident, said public safety is at the top of his mind.
"With all of the fighting and all of rioting and stuff going on, it just doesn't need to be, people need to think first," Moore said.
The downtown brawl in July and the Fountain Square shooting from two weeks ago are fresh on Moore's mind. We asked him if public safety was the reason he came out to vote early Monday.
"Public safety, and know that it needs to stop, the fighting," Moore said.
He wasn't the only one.
"It's very important we don't go downtown, but we didn't before anyway so but yeah, it's scary," said Pleasant Ridge resident Charlotte Richey.
Robert Langefels, another Pleasant Ridge resident, told us that he feels like "the slap on the wrist," should be eliminated.
Everyone we spoke with feels that violent offenders need to be given harsher punishments.
"There's got to be some discipline. (An) offender ends up out on the street, in a week or two or whatever it is, I think that's allowing him or her to cause another problem," Langefels said.
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, who is running for reelection, talked about the role of judges when it comes to public safety.
"What is very clear to me is that the process for our justice system from detaining and arresting people all the way up to sentencing, has flaws," Pureval said.
Other politicians and the Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police have also criticized judges. Some have talked about how judges can impact the outcomes of public safety.
"The system is as it is, and hopefully they do it the correct way," Richey said.
Both Richey and Moore told me they didn't vote for any of the municipal judges because they weren't familiar with them.
"I don't know if they're Republican or Democrat, and I ain't gonna vote for them, I mean that's just me," Moore said. "So do we take a chance on voting for people we don't know because we don't get the information on these people? There's so many questions."
