RICHLAND COUNTY — Incumbent Richland County Probate Court Judge Kelly Badnell was reelected to another six-year term Tuesday, turning back a challenge from Mansfield attorney Robert Franco.
Badnell, who took office in 2021, credited her re-election to her record in office, court efficiency and the customer service provided by her staff.
“Certainly the fact that I have already been in office as a judge and the things that I’ve done there,” Badnell said Tuesday night. “Bringing things to the community so that they can access the court easily without having to come into court, the fact that our court has an excellent turnover rate for our cases.
“So we’re moving our cases well, getting the job done and getting your case moving so that it’s not sitting,” she said.
The race was on the ballot as non-partisan. But Badnell advanced by winning the Republican primary in May.
Franco, making his run for office, entered the race as an independent.
Badnell received 21,716 votes, according to final, unofficial totals from the Richland County Board of Elections, earning 58.83 percent of the vote.
Franco received 15,200 votes, earning 41.17 of the vote total.
Badnell also praised the deputy clerks working in the probate division.
“People always comment on how helpful they were, how nice they were and so our customer service is very good,” Badnell said.
Looking ahead to her second term, Badnell outlined plans to modernize courthouse operations and reconfigure office space. She hopes to establish an online filing system to give residents alternatives to mailing or delivering paper filings in person.
“We did upgrade our case management system to be able to do that, but the backend work on that is pretty heavy,” she said. “I don’t know whether we’re going to be able to get that done first or have to do more of a dedicated email where you send it, but I’d like to be able to get that going.”
Badnell said she would like to have a physical redesign of the probate court offices to make the courtroom accessible directly from the hallway, rather than routing visitors through staff office areas.
Franco, a 54-year-old attorney with an advanced legal degree in business and taxation from Capital University School of Law, qualified for the general election ballot by gathering more than 680 petition signatures.
During the campaign, Franco emphasized a vision of making the probate process more approachable for everyday residents.
“Probate can seem complicated or intimidating, particularly for people encountering the court for the first time,” Franco said ahead of the election. “If elected, I would work to make Probate Court a place where people are heard, where the law is applied fairly and where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.”
Badnell described Franco’s bid as a visible and professional effort.
“Certainly he was very active with signs and billboards,” Badnell said. “He didn’t campaign negatively, which is nice.”
Ohio probate courts handle estates, guardianships, trusts, adoptions, mental health commitments, and civil marriage licenses. Badnell’s new term begins in February 2027.
The 60-year-old Badnell, a Lexington resident, earned bachelor’s degrees in business administration and also political science from Washington & Jefferson College and a law degree from the Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law.
She said her six years on the bench have centered on constitutional conservatism, court transparency and operational efficiency.
