This year’s primary and special election will be held May 6. Depending on their Oberlin precinct, voters can cast their ballots at the Oberlin Enrichment and Activity Center on 36 S. Prospect St., the House of Zion Fellowship Center on 81 Locust St., or at Kendal at Oberlin.

Voters will elect a candidate for Judge of the Oberlin Municipal Court and will approve or reject Issue 2, a proposed constitutional amendment to finance public infrastructure. 

To vote in person, voters registered in the state of Ohio must bring either an Ohio driver’s license or photo ID issued by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, a military ID, or a U.S. passport or passport card. It’s not too late to request an absentee ballot — applications for an absentee ballot may be delivered to the Lorain County Board of Elections until April 29. Early and absentee voting by mail began April 8, and absentee ballots must be postmarked by May 5. If not returned by mail, absentee ballots may be personally delivered to the Lorain County Board of Elections by 7:30 p.m. May 6.

Oberlin Municipal Court District Primary

There will be two candidates for Judge of the Municipal Court on the ballot. The winner will replace Oberlin Municipal Judge Thomas Januzzi, who will be retiring after having served since 2001. The elected candidate will be the sole judge in the Oberlin Municipal Court.

Zack Simonoff is an attorney who runs his own law firm, Simonoff Law, in Elyria. According to The Chronicle-Telegram, in his civil law practice, Simonoff “focuses on consumer law and housing” and “regularly represents consumers, debtors, landlords, and tenants.” 

According to a news release quoted by The Morning Journal and The Chronicle-Telegram, Simonoff has expertise in both civil and criminal law. In his work alongside the Lorain County Bar Association, he has worked to create programs to both help tenants keep their housing and to help landlords collect their rent. The About page on Simonoff Law’s website states that Simonoff has “spent his practice generally representing people that are unable to speak for themselves, criminal defendants, people undergoing foreclosure, and people being sued for debts.” The Morning Journal writes that, according to his news release, “Simonoff has dedicated his career to ensuring the most underrepresented members of society are treated fairly by the judicial system.”

Simonoff graduated from Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and was admitted to the bar in 1998. He began his law career as a prosecutor for the City of Lorain before founding Simonoff Law, previously Simonoff & Swenski Co., in 2000. In his time as a criminal defense attorney, Simonoff served as a defense counsel for the Lorain County Veterans Treatment Court ever since its founding over 10 years ago.

Simonoff is also a 12-year veteran of the Army National Guard. In 2024, he was honored by the Lorain Veterans Council for Civic Improvement for service to veterans. In the same year, he also received a Social Justice Award from the Metro Central NAACP.

“I plan to ensure the Oberlin Municipal Court treats every case with … diligence and care,” Simonoff’s release quoted by The Morning Journal reads.

Farah Lillian Emeka, OC ’97, is the chief prosecutor and assistant law director for the City of Oberlin. Emeka has over 20 years of legal experience, her campaign website says. Emeka served as Oberlin Municipal Court Prosecutor for over seven years. Prior to serving as chief prosecutor, Emeka served for seven years at the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s office, where she advanced to the position of managing attorney, according to a news release quoted by The Morning Journal and The Chronicle-Telegram.

In addition to serving as chief prosecutor, Emeka also works in private legal practice as a senior associate attorney at Gertsburg Licata Co., LPA. According to her page on Gertsburg Licata’s website, her practice areas include litigation, probate and estate, and family law. Previously, she maintained a private practice with Fauver Co., LPA.

Emeka received her B.A. from Oberlin College and graduated with a J.D. cum laude from the Seattle University School of Law. She began practicing law in 2002 in Washington State at the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office in the Criminal Misdemeanor Division, and then relocated to Oberlin, where she worked as an administrator for the College before starting her work at the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office in the Child Support Unit. 

The About page on Emeka’s campaign website emphasizes her “dedication to family [and] community.” She actively serves on several community boards, including as chairs of the Ruby N. Jones Community Scholarship Fund board of directors, the Lorain County Urban League board, and the Save Our Children board. She is currently president of the Oberlin City Schools Board of Education. This February, she also received a Black Women of Excellence award from the Oberlin House of the Lord Fellowship Center.

“I am committed to bringing compassion, respect, and accountability to the bench,” Emeka said in the press release. “As a candidate for judge of the Oberlin Municipal Court, I promise to uphold the principles of equality and justice for all.”

She has been endorsed by The Chronicle-Telegram, The Oberlin Review’s Editorial Board (“Editorial Board Endorses Farah Lillian Emeka For Oberlin Municipal Court Judge,” The Oberlin Review, March 14, 2025), former Biden Administration Senior Advisor for Public Engagement Rev. Thomas Bowen, Oberlin Chief of Police Ryan Warfield, and former Amherst and Oberlin Prosecutor Frank Carlson.

Issue 2

Issue 2, a proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution, would authorize the state to finance public infrastructure projects. The text of the amendment states that the projects “would be limited to improving roads and bridges, wastewater treatment systems, water supply systems, solid waste disposal facilities, and stormwater and sanitary collection, storage, and treatment facilities.” Projects would have to advance the public health, safety, and welfare of the people of Ohio in order to be funded under this amendment. Issue 2 is not financed by an increase in state taxes. State budget planning has already accommodated for the funds to repay project bonds.

The amount of money the state uses for these projects must not exceed $2.5 billion within a 10-year period. The amendment would also require that the amounts of money issued for public projects must be paid no more than 30 years after their date of issuance.

Proponents of Issue 2 argue that Issue 2 will provide for necessary repairs to local infrastructure and  create thousands of jobs. Issue 2 has, according to the explanations on the ballot, benefited every Ohio county, and is strongly supported by both Democrats and Republicans. Additionally, state budget planning has already accommodated for the funds to repay project bonds.

Arguments against Issue 2 were provided by the ballot board as no oppositional arguments were submitted by others. The argument raises concerns about the increased amounts of debt the state may incur if they issue more bonds to pay for projects. Additionally, many residents may not see a direct benefit from the public infrastructure projects these bonds are used to fund, as the bonds may fund infrastructure projects in parts of the state where they do not reside.