Two file for Clark County Municipal Court clerk race

Credit: Bill Lackey

Credit: Bill Lackey

The Clark County Municipal Court clerk is expected to face a challenger this fall in a race that follows her appointment to the role after the death of the court’s longtime clerk.

Democrat Sheila Rice, of Springfield, was appointed to the municipal clerk position in 2021 by a vote of Clark County Democratic Central Committee members. The appointment came following the death of Guy Ferguson, the former clerk.

Rice is expected to face off with Republican John Anderson, of Enon, in November.

Ferguson, who died in 2021, had been clerk of courts since 1984. He graduated in 1968 from Springfield South High School and in 1972 from Central State University.

Rice is a graduate of Springfield High School. She also works as a Realtor for Coldwell Banker Heritage, a property appraiser for the Clark County Sheriff’s office, and the owner of “The L” event venue in Springfield. Prior to working as a Realtor, Rice served as owner and deputy registrar of Ohio License Bureau South for 20 years. She also served as deputy clerk of Clark County Common Pleas Court.

Anderson has run in multiple campaigns for U.S. Congress for more than a decade. He’s a graduate of Youngstown State University and has a background in research and statistics. He served in the U.S. Air Force.

The Clark County Board of Elections will certify candidates for upcoming elections on Feb. 13.

The deadline to file candidate petitions in Ohio was Wednesday.

Two others — Democrat Dave Farrell and Republican Melissa Tuttle, who currently serves as the county’s common pleas court clerk – pulled petitions for municipal clerk, but did not file them, according to the Clark County Board of Elections.

In Ohio, most municipal courts with clerk positions left vacant must appoint someone to fill the unexpired term within 15 days of the vacancy.

Per state code, an election for the remainder of the term must be held in an odd-numbered year during a general election that falls more than 135 days after the vacancy, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office.

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