Disgraced ex-judge Mark Repp launches bid to reclaim Tiffin-Fostoria Municipal Court bench

Tiffin, Ohio — Mark Repp, the former Tiffin-Fostoria Municipal Court judge who was suspended by the Ohio Supreme Court for judicial misconduct and later removed from the bench by Tiffin City Council, has launched a bid to get his old job back.

Repp filed petitions with the Seneca County Board of Elections on Tuesday to appear on the May 2023 primary election ballot, according to the board’s website.

After Repp was suspended from the practice of law and his judicial office without pay by the Ohio Supreme Court in 2021, Tiffin City Council voted unanimously on June 20, 2022 to declare a vacancy in the office of municipal judge.

Rhonda Best, a former Seneca County assistant prosecutor, was selected by Gov. Mike DeWine to fill the vacancy. As of Tuesday afternoon, Rhonda Best, Mark Repp, and local attorney James Fruth have all filed to run in the May primary for the municipal judgeship position, according to the board of elections website.

Repp’s suspension was the result of a certified complaint filed against him, which stated that he abused his contempt power and engaged in “impatient, undignified, and discourteous conduct” when he forced a court spectator to submit to a drug test during a hearing in March 2020.

In a September letter to the Seneca County Republican Central Committee, Repp hinted that he intended to return to the bench.

“I want to inform you that I am and will be pursuing multiple avenues to return to the court. Preparations have already been made on multiple levels and will commence at the appropriate time,” Repp wrote in the letter.

Voters in Tiffin will have the opportunity to cast their ballots for mayor, city council, and other municipal offices in the May primary election. The top two vote-getters in each race will advance to the November general election.

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