American politician of the Democratic Party, who served as the 49th mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, as a cabinet member in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, and as a U.S. appeals court judge.
The Celebrezze/Zanghi Community Legal Education project, Inc. (CZ-CLEP) is devoted to the education of legal issues. Driven by the public's keen interest in our legal-judicial system, CZ-CLEP is dedicated to educational endeavors aimed at enhancing the understanding by all citizens, regardless of age, education,and/or occupation.
In “The Spotlight” with: Debra Kaufman, Wadsworth Clerk of Court
By Kate Feeks
Debra Kaufman, Clerk of the Wadsworth Municipal Court, grew up in Oberlin, Ohio where she graduated from Oberlin High School in 1972. She moved to Wadsworth a few years later, and it has been her home ever since. As a new resident of Wadsworth, Kaufman worked as a legal secretary for Attorney David Hensel, and the law firm Hensel and Guldin.
In January of 1977, the Wadsworth Municipal Court was established and Attorney Hensel was appointed as the first judge. It was then that Kaufman was invited by Judge Hensel to work in the civil small claims division where she stayed for 33 years.
In January 2010, Kaufman was offered the opportunity to fill the position of Wadsworth Municipal Clerk of Court, after the retirement of Marge Laterza in December 2009. “It was a tough decision for me to make because I was so comfortable in what I was doing for so many years. I loved the civil small claims department, but I thought it would be a great opportunity to become the Clerk and be able to finish my career doing something a little bit different.” said Kaufman.
A primary responsibility of the Clerk is to file and maintain records. She also collects fines and fees to wit she distributes or expends to various agencies. The Clerk also issues warrants and court orders.
Since she began as Clerk, Kaufman has implemented a few changes. The most significant change for this office has been the ability to do document scanning. “That was one thing that I really pushed for because we don't have room to store all the cases, wave-able tickets and other important paperwork that we have. We started the scanning and now we are comfortable knowing we have the information safe, but out of the way.” explained Kaufman.
Years ago her office went from carrying their case paperwork in boxes across the street in order to make room to hiring a storage company. The document scanning has been a success. “Right now we are also working on online payments, so we are hoping this will free up telephone time and allow us to have more time to assist those in the office” Kaufman said.
After so many dedicated years of working at the Court, Kaufman attributes longevity to what best prepared her for her position today. “Court positions are not like normal secretary positions. It really takes several years for people to get really comfortable with what they are doing because of the different set of variables they deal with. After so many years, there are so many things you just know, so I would say longevity has best prepared me for this position” Kaufman said.
In The Spotlight with: Veronica Perry, Chief Adult Probation Officer, Medina County Adult Probation Department
By Kate Feeks
In May watch for the next episode of Law Talk, hosted by John Celebrezze. This episode features Veronica Perry, Chief Probation Officer of the Medina County Adult Probation Department. This show can be viewed on Wadsworth Cable (WCTV) Public Access, Channel 15, Brunswick Area Television (BAT) Public Access, Channel 21, and Armstrong Cable Access, Channel 37.
In November 2011, Judge James Kimbler of the Medina County Common Pleas Court and The Medina County Adult Probation Department began offering a new program called The Family Intervention Program (FIP) designed specifically for single substance abusing mothers. The participants of this program are identified by the probation department through intervention in leiu of conviction. The Family Intervention Program is designed to help drug addicted mothers maintain their sobriety and reunite or retain custody of their children.
The program is headed up by Veronica Perry and a special core docket team made up of Judge Kimbler, a probation officer and a case worker. Together the team works with these women to help them succeed in the legal process, and ultimately get their lives back. “Most of the women are homeless by the time we get to them. We offer extra resources through a special docket fund for these women who are generally heroin addicted, homeless and have lost custody of their children. The fund offers the women assistance in finding employment, housing, transportation to and from treatment, E-cam (audio visual treatment program), additional counseling and small financial assistance.” Perry explained.
The program provides an intensive service rather than just probation to participants. To qualify for the program the offender must be a single mother with a drug addiction who is willing to participate in the program. FIP consists of a screening process and three phases.
Phase 1: First 90 days. Sessions are held with treatment team and participants are given a drug screening, parenting classes, mentor introduction, and transportation assistance.
Phase 2: Next 180 days. Sessions are held twice a month, drug testing continues, parenting classes continue, initiate family reunification, and random home visits are conducted.
Phase 3: Last 90 days. Minimum 1-6 random drug tests per month, participant reports monthly, continue meeting with team.
The goal is for each woman to complete the entire program within one year and participate in a graduation ceremony
To learn more about the Family Intervention Program with Veronica Perry, watch for her interview with John Celebrezze on Law Talk throughout the month of May on your local cable network and You Tube.
CZCLEP Police & Community Training Materials
The Celebrezze-Zanghi Community Legal Education Project, Inc. is pleased to announce that it will provide training materials to police and crime prevention organizations. In line with our mission statement these materials can be custom designed to individual content needs regarding police and crime prevention training.
In memory of Patrolman Vincent R. Celebrezze (1940-1988), Richfield Police Department, Richfield, Ohio these materials will be made available free of charge to Ohio law enforcement agencies for a limited time.
Interested police agents should contact John Celebrezze via this site or call 330.416.8774 for a sample disc.
CZCLEP's Tax Exempt Status Approved!
The Celebrezze-Zanghi Community Legal Education Project, Inc. holds tax exempt status exempting it from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to the organization are deductible under section 170 of the Code. The organization is also qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers or gifts under section 2055, 2106, or 2522 of the Code. The Celebrezze-Zanghi Community Legal Education Project, Inc. is treated as a public charity.
Tax deductible contribution checks payable to CZ-CLEP can be mailed to 5192 Gillen Way, Westerville, Ohio 43082. Contributors should consult a qualified tax advisor regarding their contributions as they apply to their annual tax filings.
Law Talk Wins WCTV Clapper Award Again!
The Celebrezze-Zanghi Community Legal Education Project, Inc. is again the proud recipient of a WCTV Clapper Award for Best Talk Show. On November 29, 2010 John Celebrezze accepted the runner up Clapper Award for our show on Judge Christopher Collier's drug court. This marks the second time in as many years Law Talk received the award.
View Law Talk on Wadsworth Cable (WCTV) Public Access Channel 15, Brunswick Area Television (BAT) Public Access Channel 21, and Medina Cable Access, Channel 37.
The show can also be seen on You Tube accessible from this site in segments by CLICKING HERE.
Comments made by John's guests on Law Talk are solely those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of Celebrezze - Zanghi Community Legal Education Project, Inc.
CZCLEP
Celebrezze-Zanghi
Community Legal Education Project, Inc.
>
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
>
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
