Fifteen years ago, I reached a pivotal point in life, in which civic duty became not just a right, but a responsibility.
It was at this point a few things happened. I submitted my Selective Service registration, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, and voted in my first election. In the 15 years since, I have voted for Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike. I have voted in Democratic primaries some years, Republican primaries in other years.
The one thing that has remained consistent, are the life principles on which my vote is based. Integrity, transparency, competency, and pragmatic bipartisanship. I carried these principles through my six years in the Marine Corps as an infantryman and Iraq war veteran, and I carry them still, through my professional and personal relationships every day.
In the race for Richland County Judge of Common Pleas, there is one candidate who emulates those principles above the rest. Magistrate Phil Naumoff has been, for nearly his entire life, a dedicated, engaged, and caring citizen of Richland County.
The child of Macedonian immigrants escaping Cold War Communist oppression, Phil Naumoff knows firsthand the meaning of the American Dream. The American Dream is not a thing. It is an idea. The idea and opportunity that no matter where you came from, or where you are, you can choose where you are going.
The choice towards becoming an engaged, responsible, and contributing citizen is not often going to be an easy road. But things worth doing rarely are. Phil Naumoff understands this, and that understanding is exactly the attribute needed of any good judge and good citizen.
Phil Naumoff is dedicated to helping the community and citizens of Richland County, and he will help those wandering, to not become lost, as any good judge and public servant should.
Rolland H. Ogle
Mansfield, Ohio
