About


Born and raised in East Liverpool, Ohio, William Vodrey first came to Cuyahoga County in 1989 to begin his studies at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Except for three years in private practice and as a staff attorney with Southeastern Ohio Legal Services, representing clients who could not afford a lawyer in New Philadelphia, Ohio, he and his wife Susan have lived in Cuyahoga County ever since.

After his work with Southeastern Ohio Legal Services, William was appointed an assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor by Stephanie Tubbs Jones, and served for six years, mostly in the felony trial unit. He was appointed a magistrate of Cleveland Municipal Court in late 2001, and has served there ever since. Most judges go their entire careers without ever having a case officially reported as Ohio precedent; William has had twenty-one. He is the only non-incumbent Democratic Common Pleas candidate with experience presiding over jury trials.

William is active at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights. He is also a member of the American Constitution Society, Cleveland Civil War Roundtable, Sons of the American Revolution, and the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, in which he serves on the Character and Fitness Committee, interviewing and evaluating applicants who wish to take the Ohio bar exam. An Eagle Scout, he is on the Troop Committee of Boy Scout Troop 662 in Shaker Heights, Ohio, an advisor of the Shaker Heights High School Mock Trial Club, and a visiting professor of Legal Advocacy at his undergraduate alma mater, Oberlin College.

Married for 30 years, William and Susan Carnahan Vodrey live in Cleveland and have three sons, John, Ethan and Thomas.

For more details, please view William Vodrey’s Resume.

HOW DO YOU SAY HIS NAME, ANYWAY?

That’s easy – just think “Vote Vodrey.” Same “Vo” sound!

  • “Vodrey is a qualified and passionate candidate who will bring extensive knowledge and expertise to the court, should he be elected. He absolutely has my vote this election.”
      • My thanks to Jenna Thomas for interviewing me for Cool Cleveland! Click above to read the article. (Just to clarify, I worked on both domestic violence and utility law cases not when I was a prosecutor, but earlier, when I was a legal aid lawyer.)

  • Dewey, the Vodrey family’s yellow Labrador Retriever, encourages you to Vote Vodrey!