RELATED: Election 2018: Candidates for Champaign County commisssioner
Vaughn, of South Charleston, was selected by Gov. John Kasich and was appointed to fill the remainder of Joseph Monnin’s term. Monnin retired after 22 years on the bench.
Lancaster, also of South Charleston, has worked as a magistrate in Clark County since 2000. She also worked for eight years at the Clark County Department of Job and Family Services.
The juvenile court, a division of the Clark County Common Pleas Court, has more than 80 employees. The judge oversees both the juvenile clerk of court’s office and the detention center, which employs cooks, teachers, bailiffs, stenographers and other administrative positions. The position includes a six-year term.
DETAILS: MORE ELECTION COVERAGE: Explore races and build your ballot with our Voters Guide
Vaughn is a former Cedarville University law professor who also served seven years as a staff attorney at the Ohio Supreme Court and later moved into private practice.
“I wanted to bring my experience in court administration to the job,” Vaughn said. “I worked at the Supreme Court of Ohio for seven years, five of those years as case management counsel, so I understand court administration and clerks office operations and had written a lot of decisions at that level. I thought my experience was a good fit and that combination of court experience, court management combined with my experience in delinquency was a good fit.”
May election: Democrats and Republicans line up to take on Congressman Jim Jordan
One of the biggest challenges facing the court is shrinking revenues, Vaughn said. At the same time, many of the cases involving children who go through the court system are becoming more complex. While he has not cut staff, some vacant positions have gone unfilled, and he said the office has restructured how it collects court costs.
Lancaster has served in various roles in Clark County for 26 years. She started her career in the Department of Job and Family Services as a trial attorney handling child support cases. She also served as a legal coordinator and served as the agency’s assistant deputy director. She has also served for the past 18 years as a magistrate under Judge Thomas Capper deciding divorce and child custody cases among other duties.
READ MORE: What is State Issue 1 on the May ballot?
“I have a lot of experience in supervision which is a big part of the juvenile court,” Lancaster said.
This is the first time Lancaster has sought elected office, and she said she is only interested in positions in the juvenile court system.
MORE: Ohio Republican U.S. Senate candidates fight for Trump voters
“My passion has always been working with families and children,” she said. “I do have the administrative experience, the supervisory experience and the experience on the bench. This is the place I want to be is working with families and children. I really have no interest in another judgeship.”
If elected, Lancaster said she’d like to expand a training program created under Judge Monnin’s tenure that provides job training for some students who go through the juvenile court system.
About the Author