County Dems call for judge, clerk of courts to resign 'to restore faith'
Jun. 18—Montgomery County Democratic Party leaders are calling for the resignation of county Common Pleas Judge Richard Skelton following allegations that the Republican judge forced a court employee to mow his lawn and move furniture at his house.
The Dayton Daily News revealed last week that Montgomery County paid $70,000 last year to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit brought by an ex-judicial assistant of Skelton, Mitchell Mustaine.
Mustaine alleged in the suit he was retaliated against for taking medical leave. The lawsuit also alleged that Skelton required Mustaine to do landscaping at his house and close down the judge's private law office after he was elected.
The Dayton Daily News uncovered the settlement while analyzing county payroll records as part of the annual Dayton Daily News Payroll Project.
In a statement, Democrats connect the issue to the ongoing investigation by the Ohio Auditor of State into whether Republican Clerk of Courts Mike Foley engaged in inappropriate campaign-related activity at the clerk's office.
"This is another example of Republicans misbehaving in the Montgomery County Common Pleas Courthouse," said Democratic Party Chairman Mohamed Al-Hamdani.
"From Mike Foley being under investigation to now Judge Skelton being bailed out by taxpayer dollars for unethical and potentially criminal behavior for having his former employees allegedly do yard work and move furniture at his house. We call on both of them to resign and step down immediately to restore faith in our judicial system."
The settlement and investigation are not linked to each other. Foley's office declined to comment on the Democrats' statement, and Skelton did not return a request for comment.
A search warrant was served at the Montgomery County Clerk of Courts office in November 2022 following allegations that Foley engaged in inappropriate campaign-related activity at the clerk's office, according to a document obtained by the Dayton Daily News.
State auditor records last year noted that the investigation is ongoing.
In county payroll records, the settlement payment related to the lawsuit filed by Skelton's employee appears as a $22,955 bonus to Mustaine in 2023. The Montgomery County commission — all Democrats — in April 2023 approved a $70,000 payment for Mustaine and his attorney.
