Littlejohn likely to unseat incumbent Harris for Clark County treasurer

Republican challenger Pam Littlejohn is likely to become the next Clark County treasurer in her first bid for public office.

Littlejohn amassed 60% of the vote, while her opponent Democratic incumbent Michelle Harris picked up 39% of the vote in unofficial final results, according to the Clark County Board of Electionsof the vote.

Those numbers could change as more ballots are counted through Nov. 18. The Springfield News-Sun will continue to update these results as more ballots are counted.

“I have been so nervous all day and I am just honored. I am so excited. I worked really hard and knocked on a lot of doors. All of this hard work has paid off,” Littlejohn said Tuesday night as results were tabulated.

Littlejohn recently retired from working for PNC Bank where she worked for several decades.

Littlejohn was based primarily in the Springfield area while serving as a branch manager for PNC. During that time she earned the title of vice president along with several others in the bank’s network. She said she was inspired to run for public office as she was looking to retire from the private sector.

Littlejohn said her main focus when she takes office next year will be the collection of delinquent taxes in the county, with a focus on landlords in the city of Springfield.

She said that she also wants to work with other county agencies and bring new technology and payment systems to the treasurer’s office.

The Clark County Treasurer oversees the county’s investment portfolio that totals between $130 million to $150 million. The office is responsible for the billing to collect local real-estate and manufactured home taxes.

The current annual base salary for the treasurer position is $74,446 and they oversee a staff of seven people.

Her opponent Harris, a Democrat, was appointed as the county’s treasurer in June after her predecessor Stephen Metzger retired from that position after being in office for over 30 years.

Before that, Harris had served as the county’s deputy treasurer for 18 years. As a result of her appointment, she did not face a primary challenger. Her opponent Littlejohn, a Republican, was a write-in candidate during the primary election. There was not a Republican candidate for treasurer listed on the ballot for that race.

Harris will remain in office until September as that is when a new four-year term will start following state rules for when county treasurers can take office.

“I still have a job to do and I took an oath through September of next year. I intend to keep that oath for the citizens of Clark County. It was an honor to be the treasurer," Harris said.

The new four-year term will start on Sept. 6, 2021, according the Clark County Board of Elections.

About the Author