Tracie M. Hunter Attorney, pastor and journalist Tracie M. Hunter is in the running for Common Pleas judge of the Juvenile Court Division of Hamilton County. She is on the Democratic ticket in the May 4, primary. Hunter is seeking one of two Juvenile Court judge positions. There has never been an African American judge in Hamilton County’s Juvenile Court.

Hunter said she desires to provide a bench that reflects the county’s diversity.

Hunter said, “When I began practicing law 17 years ago, I was shocked by the disproportionate number of African American children incarcerated in Hamilton County. Over 80 percent of the children sent to Hillcrest Training are minority, proving little has changed. I understand the cultural challenges and legal obstacles facing our children and know what it will take to level the playing field to provide all children an opportunity to succeed.”

Hunter has been committed to public service her entire professional career. A licensed attorney for more than 17 years, Hunter maintained a private legal practice, often providing pro bono representation to clients in order to ensure them equal protection under the law. During her legal tenure, Hunter served as an attorney advocate and guardian ad litem for abused and neglected children with Pro Kids; represented indigent adults and children as a contracted attorney for the Public Defenders Office; and provided private legal counsel on probate, personal injury and civil rights cases. Hunter also served as a facilitator in several halfway houses for juvenile offenders.

Hunter said she is running because of the many issues in the African American community that are contributing to the high incidence of violence and crime.

“Statistics show that the majority of people incarcerated in Hamilton County dropped out of school and cannot read or write effectively. When individuals cannot find meaningful employment because they are illiterate, or have a felony on their record, what else are they going to do, but turn to crime and illegitimate ways to provide for their families? Everyone has a basic need for food, clothing and shelter. It is not an excuse to break the law, but if we don’t create opportunities for them to work legally and they have to eat, what else are they going to do? I am running for judge to help eliminate those excuses.”

A huge area of concern for Hunter is the number of men facing jail time and records for failure to pay child support. “I believe a man must provide for his family. It takes two to make a child; therefore both parents should be financially responsible for the children they co-created. Howev- er, once men who have no other records are convicted of felony nonsupport for failure to pay, their options become limited. If he falls in arrears and goes to jail, often he loses his employment while incarcerated and gets further behind. It does not help the child, mother, family or community to put a man that is trying behind bars.”

Hunter is clear that she is not soft on crime. She just understands that in order for the system to work effectively, it requires balance. In some instances, she believes harsher penalties should be implemented. She said she has talked to many police officers who believe that when a child only gets a slap on the wrist, he feels empowered to commit more crime. “That attitude will not be tolerated in my courtroom,’’ she added. “I plan to make a dent in the homicide rate. When children don’t respect the law or authority it leads to the destruction of our communities. Some children would learn acceptable behavior more quickly if they were penalized more strongly the first time. A good judge will take the time to explore the best way to handle each child. What works for one may not be the best solution for the next. I do not believe one size fits all.”

Hunter said the streets and jails in Cincinnati and Hamilton County are full of misdirected adults who started out as misdirected youth. “We will not regain control of our community until we gain control of our young. I refuse to believe that people cannot change, but change is intentional and requires commitment from the entire community. We must raise the level of expectation for our children and not allow them to embrace mediocrity.”

She said as a juvenile judge she would focus on the rehabilitation, education and restoration, not only of children, but also of communities. “I will be tough on crime because it is destroying our community, and we must not tolerate criminal conduct. We must confront the root issues that are leading to demoralizing and depraved behavior and nip it before it becomes a chronic problem. We must train up children in the way they should go, and that includes the court system working in conjunction with families. I am dedicated to making our children become productive members of society,” Hunter said.

Hunter is the pastor of the Western Hills Brethren In Christ Church. She made history in 2009 when she became the first African American senior pastor in North America in the history of the 232- year-old Brethren In Christ denomination. Her mission is to help individuals reach their full potential intellectually, physically and spiritually.

A journalist and broadcaster for over 20 years, Hunter is noted for leading the oldest and longest running urban Gospel radio station, WCVG, in the Cincinnati radio market. As Chairman/ CEO of TMH Media Group and CEO of Kingdom Life Ministries Inc. she continues to own and operate My- UrbanGospel.com, an Internet radio station broadcasting spiritually inspirational programming, news and information. Hunter has hosted “Tracie Live,” radio talk show for over 15 years and “In Focus” television program for eight years.

To help rebuild community, Hunter has organized and led nearly 200 prayer walks in Cincinnati’s toughest neighborhoods. She has taught more than 100 churches how to organize prayer-walking missions in urban communities. “Guidepost Magazine” documented that in April 2002 a prayer walk she coordinated with more than 1,000 people was instrumental in squelching a violent uprising during civil unrest in Cincinnati. Hunter’s staff has been coordinating and serving meals to hundreds of Cincinnati’s homeless population weekly since 2006.

She serves on the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission and the board of Junia Company. She is a member of the first graduating class of the National Association of Broadcasters Broadcast Leadership Development program. She is a former board member of Job Corps and the Urban Minority Alcohol and Drug Abuse Outreach Program. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Black Lawyers Association of Cincinnati, and an alumnus of the Urban League’s African American Leadership Development Program.

She is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford and the University Of Cincinnati College Of Law.