“Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community.”

Biography

JUDGE RAYMOND L. PIANKA

As a lifelong resident of the City of Cleveland, educated in the Cleveland public school system, Judge Pianka is committed to the making Cleveland Housing Court serve the community with innovative programs while administrating the fair and impartial justice the law requires.

As the presiding and administrative judge of The Cleveland Municipal Court's Housing Division, Judge Pianka has instituted several innovative programs since his election to office in 1996—

• The Selective Intervention Program (SIP), instituted in July of 1998, is an alternative resolution for homeowners, many of whom are indigent and elderly Defendants who come before the Court. Participants who successfully complete the program will have their cases dismissed by the Court, will avoid a criminal conviction and will pay only a minimal fee to offset court costs.
  
• The Court's Warrant Capias Program is an initiative set in place in 1996 to serve and execute outstanding warrants and capiases. Since the program's inception, 2,500 old warrants and capiases, some of which dated back to 1992, have been cleared up.

In addition, Judge Pianka has developed several forums to educate the public on matters relating to Housing Court—

• The Court's Landlord Seminar Workshop, conducted in partnership with the Northeast Ohio Apartment Association is a series of seminars designed to educate landlords as to their (and their tenants) rights and responsibilities.
  
• The Housing Code Enforcement Advocates Forum is a series of meetings in which housing topics of particular concern to neighborhood organizations are discussed.
  
• Housing Court publishes a series of newsletters and "How To" videos designed to educate the public on topics concerning home maintenance, the law and the navigation of Housing Court.

Pianka received a B.A. degree in Political Science from Cleveland State University. He then attended Cleveland Marshall Law School, earning a J.D. degree in 1977. He was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1978.

In 1985, Pianka was elected councilman of Ward 17. He was reelected twice without opposition, and served through 1995. During his tenure on Cleveland City Council, Pianka served as chairman of the Community & Economic Development Committee and chairman of the Legislative Committee.