‘Most Interesting in Lorain County’

Jul 03, 2010

By: The Morning Journal

By KELLY METZ
kellyametz@gmail.com

One of them makes life-altering decisions with the force of law. Another brings a healing touch to others. A third can improve a living space with a new piece of furniture.

These are three people deemed “most interesting in Lorain County” by those who know them:

Lorain County Common Pleas Court Judge James Burge, of Avon, was described by his court reporter as a “quick-witted” judge with a computer-like command of criminal and civil law.

Ron Huff of Elyria manages the first Lorain County Habitat for Humanity ReStore, in Lorain, where he is an admired volunteer.

In Amherst, Robin Donnelly shows compassion and care operating Visiting Angels, a home care service born of a crash that seriously injured her husband.

James Burge, Lorain County Common Pleas Court Judge (VIDEO)

For the past three years, James Burge, 63, has been presiding over trials as a judge in Lorain County Common Pleas Court. His actions affect the fate of several hundred people every year.

Tracy Reiman, Burge’s court reporter, said he is the most interesting man she has ever worked with because he is quick-witted, has sharp humor, takes an interest in the defendants and also is a “genius” in law.

He “brings a different perspective to the justice system,” she said, and is very “empathetic and gives people a chance to prove they will do good.”

Burge said he is always polite to lawyers and their clients because of his own experience in criminal law. He was sworn in as a lawyer on Nov. 7, 1975. Burge worked with his attorney father for about a year and a half before “going off on his own” and building a reputation as a criminal defense lawyer.

“The cases where you’re successful do not impact you. It’s where you’re unsuccessful,” he said. “When your client is sentenced to death, that’s not something that can be fixed. It means you have lost the trial of the issues, you haven’t presented sufficient mitigation and you and your entire argument have been rejected by an audience that you helped select. That is failure.”

In his office is a photo of Burge with James Filiaggi, who was executed in 2007 for the brutal 1994 killing of his ex-wife. Burge was Filiaggi’s trial attorney.

“That’s me with him on Death Row,” Burge said, pointing to black and white photos in which Filiaggi towers over Burge. “The pictures were taken at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility where he was put to death. He’s standing up in a holding cell and I am outside, and the death chamber is the next room over. It is there to remind me of the consequences of when the lawyer fails you. Whether he is practicing or whether he is a judge … I think if I had presented the case better, I might have wound up with a life sentence … The entire process is not something that will quickly leave your mind because one minute you are talking to someone and the next minute they are going out on a gurney with a blanket over their head. Somebody you used to know.”

Burge said as a judge, he is very careful and “tries not to make mistakes.” He said he researches the issues before him “at least as well as the lawyers have.”

Reiman said Burge “is always saying he wants (the defendants) to be successful” and she admires him for that.

“He’s funny and he really takes a genuine interest in helping people not continuing their criminal ways. He’s ordered psychological evaluations on people to try and help them or perhaps get them medication,” Reiman said.

“People always say he’s soft on crime and that makes me angry. These people aren’t in the justice system on a daily basis,” Reiman said. He wants you to succeed, but he’s not going to get any funny business, and that’s not a side of him that’s really seen in the public.”

When Burge isn’t in the courtroom, he said, he is exercising or reading. He also talks shop with his wife of 31 years, Susan Cruzado Burge, who is an attorney, and he visits his four children across the country. He has five grandchildren.

In Burge’s office, he has photos and a poster, both signed and unsigned, of President Barack Obama. When asked if people might think his politics get in the way of his decision-making, he replied, “I don’t care.” A crucifix hangs in the corner to remind him “who I made the deal with when I was sworn in.” Commenting on his poster of Che Guevara, Burge said, “I certainly don’t admire (Che’s) propensity to kill enemies of the state. What I admire is the fact that he came from the upper echelon of society; he was educated as a physician and he could have had an easy life in Buenos Aires, you know, where he would have lived the same existence his parents did … And he gave that up to try to obtain something better for people who had nothing. Even his medical practice was infectious diseases; he treated lepers. So that’s commitment and for good or for bad, it was honest.”

Ron Huff, general manager, Lorain County Habitat for Humanity ReStore

When Ron Huff, 48, was laid off from his job in an electrical supply store for roughly a year, he decided to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. He never expected he would become a full-time employee of the group and general manager of its Lorain County ReStore.

The ReStore, at 214 E. 34th St., Lorain, is volunteer-based and accepts used furniture, building materials and supplies, appliances, tools, fixtures and more. The items are resold or scrapped with all proceeds going to the Habitat for Humanity, Huff said.

“Last fall, I was looking into finding used windows to build a greenhouse for my wife, and I was talking with the executive director for Habitat, and we both decided to get a ReStore going. There are 700 of them nationwide. This was the first one in Lorain County,” he said. “I knew I needed to create a job for myself. My wife has been telling me for a long time I needed to find something I loved to do; this happened to be right up my alley. It was great for everyone.”

While the ReStore’s hours are only Wednesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., volunteer Dan Cunningham said Huff can often be found working on his own time, wearing his signature Cleveland Indians hat.

“I have worked for a lot of people and Ron has been one of the inspirations for me in wanting to be here because I see he is so committed to this, and we kind of mirror each others’ attitude in the mission for Habitat for Humanity,” Cunningham said.

Huff modestly insists that if it weren’t for his volunteers, the store would be nothing.
“I’m the only one actually paid to be here; they come in and do the work and expect nothing in return. They are wonderful,” Huff said.

Outside of work, Huff enjoys riding his Arabian horse Sharef and spending time with his family. He enjoys golf and hiking and other outdoor activities, and goes to antique shops with his wife, Holly. He has six children and three grandchildren.

Cunningham said Huff brings a great attitude to their workplace and stays positive.

“He’s not a demanding person. He is easygoing and is a visionary, and he sees things the way they should be, and he helps us see that vision. He is also open to other visions and we make suggestions … He really believes in the mission of the Habitat ReStore.”

Robin Donnelly, director of Visiting Angels (VIDEO)

In 2002, Jeff Donnelly was riding his motorcycle and was passing a vehicle, when it turned left in front of him. Donnelly hit the car broadside and flew roughly 60 feet. His right leg was severed, and he almost lost his left arm.

At the time, he had been married for about a year to his wife, Robin, a nurse at Specialty Hospital. Doctors wanted to put Jeff in a nursing home, but Robin refused and said she would take care of him at home.

“I was his primary caregiver,” Robin said. “Once he recovered … we talked and thought, ‘What can we do for families in this same situation?’ We researched some home cares and found Visiting Angels and researched their philosophy and it seemed to be a good fit.”

Visiting Angels is a national organization with more than 400 offices across the United States, Canada and in Seoul, South Korea, Robin said. The organization’s mission is to take care of anyone age 18 and older, whether just to check on them when family is away, provide constant care or just temporary post-operation or post-illness care and even just companionship.

“We’ve serviced clients who have lived in the same home for 60 years,” Robin said. “They don’t want to pack up and live in a nursing home. And that’s where we come in. Our goal is to keep them comfortable in their homes for as long as possible and to keep them safely at home is the key. And also to keep them independent for as long as we can with some assistance.”

Jeff said the compassion, care and patience Robin exercises in her day-to-day business is commendable.

“Robin treats the women like they are family,” Jeff said of the caregivers. “She gives hugs and chocolates. Some women have been with us since we opened our doors in ’04. In our industry, that’s unheard of. These women would do anything for Robin and for Visiting Angels because they are so well taken care of. In turn, our seniors get awesome service because these girls just love Visiting Angels and they wouldn’t work anywhere else.”

Robin said they provide care plans, solid introductions and involve the family when getting a new client. She said she expects her caregivers to be “loyal but professional” and also to not step on any of the family members’ toes when it comes to making decisions or being there.

“I love the fact that our clients stay at home because I know what the alternative is to not living at home. With us, they get the one-on-one attention. They get one caregiver to meet their needs that quick,” Robin said, with a snap of her fingers. “We get to do the little things; we get to curl hair and paint nails and take people out to dinner and go to movies. We get to do the little extras they can’t do or don’t get in the nursing home.”

And, Robin said, there is nothing wrong with just being there for someone.

“There’s no extra charge for companionship.”

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 3rd, 2010 at 4:25 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.