Heidi Ewing had been waiting for the moment for 18 years.
“Since 2008, when I went into management, it kind of became my long-term goal,” she said of hoping to become Richland County clerk of courts.
Ewing achieved that goal when the county Republican Central Committee voted June 4 to appoint her to replace Denise Ruhl, who retired earlier this year.
Ewing collected 24 votes to nine for Jerry Snay, who works in the city finance department and was a county sheriff’s deputy.
“I’m pretty passionate about our office and passionate about the girls that work there, making sure that they receive support,” Ewing said.
Prior to the vote, each candidate had five minutes to address the central committee, followed by a brief question-and-answer session.
Snay said he has wanted to be a clerk of courts for a number of years. He ran against long-time Mansfield Clerk of Courts Dan Smith in 2023.
“I’ve set myself up for years. I’ve dedicated the last 10 years to this,” Snay told the central committee.
He said he learned leadership while running a police academy for 12 years.
Answering a question from Mansfield City Councilwoman Deb Mount, Snay said he would not run against a Republican. Ewing will have to run to retain the seat in November’s general election.
Ewing pointed out that she has been in the clerk of courts office for more than 31 years. Starting in 2003, she spent a couple of years “clearing up the issue that we had” with the state auditor’s office.
For her other qualifications, she noted she has a strong relationship with the common pleas court judges and has negotiated union contracts for three decades.
“The only person that has more experience than me is the one who just retired,” Ewing said of Ruhl.
In a brief discussion prior to the vote, Commissioner Darrell Banks and Lexington village Councilman Jeff O’Brien lobbied for Ewing, with Banks saying she has worked in every aspect of the job.
For the last six weeks, Ewing has been the acting clerk of courts.
“So far, I’ve learned that there’s a lot of questions,” she said. “There’s always somebody to reach out to. There’s been a lot of support.”
Reach Mark Caudill at 419-521-7219 or via X @MarkCau32059251.
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Republican central committee appoints Ewing as county clerk of courts
Reporting by Mark Caudill, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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By Mark Caudill, Mansfield News Journal | USA TODAY Network
