September 2025 Class Notes

Signature Class of 1992, The Charter Class

Signature Class of 2022, The Phoenix Class

Nathan Eppink ’22 reports that Medina County Park District (MCPD) will be on the fall ballot.

MCPD is funded by a single property tax. The current levy, which passed 10 years ago by 60%, will only fund the district through 2026. There is no permanent funding for MCPD.

The proposed levy is a renewal of the existing levy and a small increase of a quarter mill for a 10-year period, first levied in 2026 and first collected in ’27. It would fund the district through 2036. The total cost per $100,000 of appraised property value would be $31 per year.

The levy would generate $6.7 million annually and allow MCPD to fulfill promises and maintain the clean, safe parks and trails that residents and visitors have come to expect.

The park district, which is celebrating its 60th year in 2025, manages 24 parks/preserves, offers more than 60 trails, and protects 9,000 acres (approximately 3.3% of the county).

https://medinacountyparks.com/

Matt Razavi ’22 has announced his candidacy for the Medina County Common Pleas Judge seat commencing January 1, 2027. That seat is currently held by the Honorable Joyce V. Kimbler, who is statutorily ineligible to run for reelection due to age. He is a graduate of Leadership Medina’s 31st Signature Class.

Matt is a 1993 graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Political Science and History. He received his Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio in 1996. Matt began his career as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in Cuyahoga County in 1996.

In 2000, he entered private practice handling civil and criminal matters. In 2002, he returned to prosecuting in Medina County, where he served as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney through December of 2016. In January 2017, Matt was appointed as a Magistrate in the Medina County Court of Common Pleas where he continues to serve today.

In his 30th year of practicing law, Magistrate Matt Razavi is uniquely qualified for the common pleas bench. In 18 years as an assistant prosecuting attorney, Matt Razavi handled 1000’s of Medina County’s toughest cases. With approximately 200 jury trials under his belt, including drug trafficking, violent crimes, sex offenses, and homicide and death penalty cases, few can claim as much trial experience as Matt. Magistrate Razavi has the knowledge and experience to make the important decisions to protect Medina County citizens and ensure Defendant’s are rehabilitated.

For the last 9 years, Matt has been on the bench as a Magistrate in the very court he’s seeking election. He works every day in the Medina Common Pleas Court to make your court system work for you, to make Medina County a safe place for our families, and to rehabilitate our citizens most in need. He conducts trials, manages a civil docket of hundreds of cases, conducts criminal arraignments and sets bonds, and has periodically presided over Judge Hutson’s Recovery Court and Judge Kimbler Medina Intervention Program and Mental Health Intervention Program. Magistrate Razavi is trusted in Medina County’s legal and law enforcement communities as a source of knowledge and fairness.

Matt has resided in Medina Township for the last 23 years. He and his wife, Danielle, have been fortunate to raise their three daughters, Julia, Jenna, and Cara in Medina County.

The primary election will be held on May 5, 2026. The general election will be held on November 3, 2026.

LEAD Institute Class of 2023

Gabby Pagura LEAD ’23 has been selected as the 2025 ATHENA Young Professional Award honoree. This recognition celebrates emerging leaders who demonstrate excellence, creativity, and initiative in their careers while serving as role models for others in their community.

Gabby is grateful for the encouragement and support she has received throughout her leadership journey – from everyone!

She will be formally recognized at the ATHENA Awards celebration this November.