John Payne, elected in November as the next judge at Lima Municipal Court, was issued the oath of office Thursday. Payne’s son, Noah, held the Bible used during the ceremony.
J Swygart | The Lima News
LIMA — John Payne has held an assortment of positions throughout the legal profession over the past several decades. On Thursday he was issued the oath of office for a job wholeheartedly endorsed earlier this year by the voters of Allen County.
On Tuesday Payne will officially assume his role as a judge in Lima Municipal Court, a position for which he has been training through his previous employment with the Ohio Third District Court of Appeals, the City of Lima and, since 2019, as a magistrate in the local municipal court.
Payne ran unopposed in the Republican primary in May after nominating petitions submitted by potential primary opponent Rick Eddy were ruled invalid by the county board of elections. He was unopposed in the November general election and garnered 23,959 votes.
Lima Municipal Court Judge Tammie Hursh issued his oath of office Thursday as friends and colleagues looked on in a packed courtroom. Payne’s son Noah held the Bible.
Prior to becoming a magistrate, Payne had served as a law clerk to Vernon Preston, a judge of the Ohio Third District Court of Appeals. He followed that with a lengthy tenure as a prosecutor and deputy law director for the City of Lima. During that time he successfully argued cases before the Ohio Court of Appeals and The Supreme Court of Ohio and advised city council and city boards, commissions and department heads.
After receiving the oath of office Payne thanked many of the people who helped him gain the knowledge and experience necessary to assume the bench. He singled out Preston, Lima City Law Director Tony Geiger, Lima Municipal Court Magistrate Richard Warren and Judges Hursh and David Rodabaugh, whose retirement created the vacancy Payne will fill, as being particularly helpful in his career.
“I am overwhelmed by the support that I have been given,” Payne told onlookers. “I am blessed to have this position and I thank God for all things. I want to say thank you to my family, and to my wife, who is not here, for all the support she gave me.”
Payne is a widower whose wife died in 2019 of medical complications.
“I would especially like to thank the voters who entrusted me with this position,” he said. “I’m excited, I’m grateful and I’m ready to start doing the hard work we do here, which is holding people accountable but also helping them change the direction of their lives.”
Hursh said Payne has handled tragedies in his personal life head-on and has grown stronger as a result.
“It takes a lot of strength to be a judge. It’s not for someone who is scared of making decisions,” the judge said. “John cares about people. He is a man of faith.”
Payne is a member of Lima Baptist Temple, where he has been a teacher, deacon and board member. He is a member of the Lima Rotary Club.
