Gov. Bob Taft announced the appointment of two new judges to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas on May 13.

Guy Reece and John Bender, both from Columbus, have been chosen to replace the two resigning judges, Lisa Sadler and Michael Watson. Both resigning judges move on to the 10th District Court of Appeals.

Reece said the governor has the authority to submit names for the position of judge when a vacancy occurs in the courts. The judge that is chosen to fill the vacancy must run for election of the position as long as the term of the former judge does not expire for at least two years.

Both judges will run next year to keep their seats on the bench.

Normal term lasts for six years, and Sadler, whom Reece is replacing, was to serve until 2006, Reece said. His term begins July 1.

Bender left his job as chief of policy and regulatory affairs for the Department of Commerce and began serving in his new position yesterday.

“Running is a good experience for me. It is important to get out there and meet the people,” he said.

Bender was appointed by Taft for the position once before in 2000. He said reappointments often happen.

Bender said he has years of experience to prepare him for his new role as judge.

He was the judge of the Crawford County Municipal Court from 1978 to 1990. He came to Columbus in 1990 and became Chief Elections Counsel in 1991 for then-Secretary of State Taft. His father was also a judge.

Reece is the director of the Franklin County Board of Elections.

He was a judge full-time for five years until he stopped in 1995 and became a visiting judge in 1998 for common pleas and municipal courts.

“If the judge in a county had a conflict, I would come to hear the case,” Reece said.

He has kept with the Continuing Legal Education which requires lawyers to go to classes every two years and take ethics courses.

The competition for the positions in the Court of Common Pleas is fairly stiff, said Heather Goss, a spokeswoman for the governor.

“We let the state (political) parties know that those positions are available, and they send names,” Goss said. “The candidates they send are all highly qualified.”

Bender said he had expressed interest to the Republican Party, which recommended him.

There were seven applicants and three interviews for the positions.

Both judges served in the Army as active duty and Army Reserve and retired as colonels in the Reserve.

“Military service is important but not necessary,” Goss said.

“It has helped as far as discipline,” said Reece, who served in Vietnam and Korea and has been in the Army for 30 years.

Bender was certified as a military judge. He remained on active duty from 1972 to 1976 and became active again for Desert Storm in 1991.