By Sharon Coolidge
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Governor Bob Taft on Friday named Hamilton County Board of Elections Director Julia A. Stautberg a county Municipal Court judge.

Stautberg, who will begin work Jan. 26, is replacing Judge Ethna Cooper, who was appointed to the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas last year.

"It's something I've worked toward for a long time," Stautberg said. "I look forward to the opportunity."

Stautberg, 37, of Anderson Township, is a commissioner for the Anderson Park District and a member of the Ohio Association of Election Officials.

She worked in the juvenile, municipal and common pleas sections of the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office for five years before becoming director of the Board of Elections in January 2000. She graduated from Chase College of Law.

"You have been terrific to work with," board Chairman Tim Burke, a Democrat, told Stautberg.

Republicans will recommend Stautberg's replacement at the Board of Elections, who must then be approved by the bipartisan, four-person board.

One municipal judge position remains open.

Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Tim Black will resign in the next few months to become a federal magistrate.

A panel of federal court judges selected Black last month.

"This is a great opportunity for me," said Black, who applied to replace retired Magistrate Jack Sherman last September.

Magistrates preside over preliminary civil and criminal matters that are later heard by U.S. District Court judges if both sides agree.

E-mail scoolidge@enquirer.com