Payne
File photo
LIMA — Lima Municipal Court Magistrate John Payne has announced his candidacy for a seat on the bench of Lima Municipal Court.
Payne said he plans to file the necessary paperwork at the Allen County Board of Elections Office at 9 a.m. Tuesday for the Municipal Court judge’s seat currently held by the retiring Judge David Rodabaugh.
Payne will be a candidate in the May 2023 Republican primary election.
Appointed to his current position in 2018, Payne presides over cases ranging from felony preliminary hearings to traffic violations in addition to the civil docket. He established and presides over the Veterans’ Treatment Court docket, helping military veterans obtain benefits, mental health and substance abuse treatment and employment in coordination with the Dayton Veterans’ Administration and Allen County Veterans Services Commission.
Payne said his goals as judge are to improve the court’s goals of increased offender accountability and restoration. He intends to utilize pretrial services for early evaluation and treatment and to use specialized dockets such as the Veterans Treatment Court to treat underlying issues which contribute to recidivism.
The candidate said he will require employment and/or community service for offenders and to enforce the payment of restitution, fines and court costs through wage withholdings in addition to traditional enforcement tools. Payne said as judge he will order community service for offenders who refuse to pay.
Another plank in Payne’s campaign is to improve court access for the under-represented members of the community by making more forms and information available online and in-house.
He proposed sending text message reminders of court appearances to defendants in an attempt to improve appearance rates.
