Voters continued their support of health and human services in Cuyahoga County by renewing a tax issue on the ballot Tuesday.

By JAMES W. WADE III

Staff Reporter

With 90 percent of 1,082 precincts reporting, former Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court judge Timothy McGinty maintains a comfortable lead over his four opponents in the Democratic race for county prosecutor.

In second is former assistant county prosecutor Stephanie Hall. Hall made an outstanding showing, being the only Black and female in the race with 4 males, Subodh Chandra, James J. McDonnell, Tim McGinty, Robert Triozzi.

In November McGinty will face Independent candidate Ed Wade Jr. to see who will be the Prosecutor. As McGinty became the man to beat, Chandra aggressively challenged him on several fronts. McGinty says any mistakes serve as cautionary influence on his future decisions.

The prosecutor’s race was the first without an incumbent in 56 years, which gave people an unusual opportunity to extract promises from the candidates. And since the real contest was in the Democratic primary, liberal constituencies concerned with civil liberties and racial bias in the justice system extracted promises of reform that would include Racial Disparity, not over charging, and more diversion for adults and juveniles.

Other candidates predicted to win are 11^th District Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, Common Pleas Judge Shirley Saffold Strickland. Michael Jackson will win the Common Pleas Court General Division, John D. Sutula the Common Pleas General Division.

Voters retained State Representatives Barbra Boyd, Armond Budish, and Sandra Williams.

Voters continued their support of health and human services in Cuyahoga County by renewing a tax issue on the ballot Tuesday. Unofficial results showed voters approving Issue 15 with 68 percent of the vote. Its passage protects initiatives such as pre-kindergarten programs, support for the elderly, child protective services and health care for the needy. The four-year tax will raise about $137 million annually.

In the races that were too close to call at press time was the Republican presidential race between Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum for the GOP’s top spot. Also to close to call was Alison Floyd and Frankie Goldberg in the Common Pleas Juvenile Court Division. As of press time Mary Kaptur was holding a slight lead over Dennis Kucinich for Ohio’s newly created 9th Congressional District. In Columbus’ 3^rd Congressional District with 584 of the 620 Precincts reporting, Joyce Beatty leads Mary Jo Kilroy by just over a thousand votes.