By Elizabeth Miller
Cuyahoga County prosecutor Timothy McGinty is out of a job come January. His opponent, Parma Safety Director Michael O’Malley, won the race with 55% of the vote, and he’ll go unopposed in the November general election.
Timothy McGinty decided to spend election night out of the spotlight and at home with family and friends. It was a close race early on with the incumbent leading by a small margin, but by 10pm, Michael O’Malley edged ahead and McGinty never rebounded.
The former Cuyahoga County judge waited until almost all votes were counted before conceding just after midnight.
In a written statement, McGinty congratulated O’Malley on his victory and said it has been the “privilege of a lifetime” to serve Cuyahoga County residents in elected office. He served one term as the county's top prosecuting attorney.
During his tenure as prosecutor, McGinty was criticized for his handling of several police use of force cases, including the shooting of Tamir Rice. The family had asked McGinty to appoint a special prosecutor to take over the case of the 12-year old, who was killed by a Cleveland Police officer in 2014. A grand jury agreed with McGinty and decided against indicting the officers involved.