Timothy McGinty will get to test drive the job as Cuyahoga County prosecutor before voters decide if he can keep it.
McGinty says he'll get started keeping a promise he made in the Democratic primary -- to improve public trust in county government.
MCGINTY: "We're going to attempt to establish a culture of transparency and accountability in Cuyahoga County."
McGinty stepped down from his post as county common pleas judge before announcing his bid for county prosecutor. He defeated four opponents in the primary. There was no Republican nominee.
Now the only man who stands in McGinty's way this November is independent challenger Edward Wade. Wade has worked as an attorney in Cleveland for decades. Last year he lost a race for a seat as a Cleveland municipal judge.
Wade says McGinty will now be running as an incumbent, giving him an unfair advantage and making a Wade victory that much harder.
WADE: "The voters can probably see through this. This is the same political machinery that has gotten Cuyahoga County in trouble before."
The appointment by Fitzgerald is just the first step in replacing Mason. Next, the Democratic Party meets either to confirm the appointment or appoint someone else to finish Mason's term. That would appear hardly likely, with McGinty being the party's nominee in the upcoming election.
