Tony Cillo has unseated incumbent JD Tomlinson in the race for Lorain County Prosecutor, winning by a margin exceeding 14% in the election held on Tuesday. Tomlinson’s campaign has suggested that the ongoing criminal case against him may have influenced the election results.
“It’s hard to predict how an election will turn out, so I wasn’t making any assumptions,” Cillo remarked in an interview on Thursday.
Leading up to November 5, many voters indicated that the race for prosecutor was not a top concern. However, it gained significant attention due to the criminal proceedings involving Tomlinson, which were unfolding concurrently.
Cillo secured over 20,000 more votes than Tomlinson, a larger victory than he anticipated. “The vote count exceeded my expectations, and I’m very grateful to everyone who supported me,” he stated.
The election coincided with Tomlinson facing serious legal challenges. Both he and his chief of staff, James Burge, are charged with tampering with evidence and intimidating a witness, with Tomlinson facing an additional charge of bribery. These charges were filed on October 1.
The allegations stem from a settlement related to a former employee who dated Tomlinson while working in his office. After leaving her position in the summer of 2023, she filed a complaint against him, claiming he had mistreated her and used physical force.
According to the criminal charges, Tomlinson and Burge attempted to persuade the woman to retract her statements, with court documents indicating that Tomlinson offered her money for a dinner date.
Both Tomlinson and Burge maintain their innocence regarding the charges.
Their defense attorney has questioned the motives behind the investigation, suggesting it may have been politically driven.
Following the election, Tomlinson was not available for comment, but his campaign reiterated the claim that the criminal case—timed just before the election—swayed public perception. He had voiced these concerns prior to the election, stating, “It’s notable that my political opponents are in charge of investigating me, especially so close to the election.”
Investigators from the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office have denied any political bias in the investigation. Cillo, who currently serves in the Sheriff’s Office, asserted that he had no role in the criminal case. “It would have been impossible for me to orchestrate something like this. I believe there have been careful measures in place to ensure an independent process for determining how the case proceeds,” he explained.