Kathryn Hapner announces candidacy for judge of Highland County Common Pleas Court

Editor's note: Longtime Hillsboro attorney and Hillsboro City Council member Kathryn Hapner has announced her candidacy for judge of Highland County Common Pleas Court. Her announcement follows.
    
I am Kathryn Hapner, and I am pleased to announce my candidacy for judge of the Highland County Common Pleas Court.  

I was born and reared in Hillsboro and began practicing law in 1995 with my father and uncle, Jim Hapner and Jon Hapner, respectively. I have been honored to practice law in my hometown and learn, for nearly three decades from the best lawyers in the business.
    
After graduating from Hillsboro High School in 1983, I attended college at Boston University and the University of Texas before graduating from Baylor University School of Law in Waco, Texas. While in law school, I was sometimes on the dean’s list and admitted to the Order of Barrister, an honorific bestowed on only a few. I was also chosen to represent Baylor as part of the negotiation competition team at the national law school competition.
    
Upon returning to Hillsboro, in addition to my private practice I have twice been an assistant prosecuting attorney, under both Rocky Coss and Jim Grandey. I served as deputy law director for the City of Hillsboro and was appointed and twice elected as law director for the City of Wilmington.  

My private practice has been broad and varied. I regularly practice in Hillsboro Municipal Court, all divisions of the Highland County Common Pleas Court, Washington Court House Municipal Court and all divisions of the Fayette County Common Pleas Court as well as the Federal Courts in Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus. I have nearly 30 years of legal experience, as both a defense attorney and prosecutor and have conducted countless felony jury trials.
    
I have been a leader in our legal, Republican and civic communities, having been president of the Highland County Bar Association; president of both the Highland County and Clinton County Republican Women’s Clubs; president of the Hillsboro Rotary Club; vice-president of the Highland County Swim organization; and secretary of the Highland County Community Improvement Corporation as well as a member of the Hillsboro City Council and magistrate for the Village of New Holland.
    
Outside of my law practice, my faith is important to me, and you can find me at St. Mary Catholic Church in Hillsboro every Sunday attending Mass, being a Lector and teaching religion to third- and fourth-graders. I am the joyful mother of four wonderful sons, two of whom are military veterans, two kind and generous daughters-in-law, and two delightful grandsons. 

Raising my children has taught me many virtues that apply equally to both motherhood and the judge’s bench. Virtues such as patience, tolerance and compassion; but also, the need for discipline and punishment when called for. Both roles call for a balance of kindness and toughness, a need to know when empathy is required and when it is time to bring the hammer down.
    
For me, the law is not just a job or a profession, it is a way of life, a calling. I was raised in a home where the law was paramount. I learned the love of, and the need for, the law from my earliest days. I had the daily example of the law and also the example of true public service in my father, James D. Hapner. He and my mother, Louise Hapner, instilled in my siblings and me the importance of the law and of service to our community. That love of the law has stuck with me, and I realize the importance of the Rule of Law in our daily lives as well as in society as a whole. Without it, there is only anarchy and chaos.  
    
In addition to the Rule of Law, I believe that we must support our law enforcement officers and explore more ways to conquer the drug epidemic that plagues our society, such as continuing and expanding our current drug court docket.
    
In addition to learning a love of the law from a young age, I also learned the importance of responsible governance. The government should work for the people – and not the other way around. This means that all government entities from the smallest villages to the largest federal bureaucracy must be mindful of the taxpayer’s money. Those running these institutions have a duty to the taxpayers to not be wasteful or careless with that funding. As judge, I promise to always be mindful of the expenses of the court and to refrain from waste.  
    
I am seeking election to the Highland County Common Pleas Court because I believe that I bring the necessary experience and attitude to the position. I believe that with nearly three decades of practice in Common Pleas Court, I am uniquely qualified to hold the office of judge of the Highland County Common Pleas Court. 

Therefore, I ask for your support in the Republican primary election on May 5, 2026. That may seem like a long way away, but it will be here before you know it.
    
To learn more about me or the campaign go to www.hapnerforjudge.com or email me at kathrynhapnerforjudge@gmail.com. Thank you for your support.