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Interim clerk of courts named while local GOP seeks replacement

MARION — An interim county clerk of courts was chosen Monday morning to temporarily fill the position left open by the resignation of Julie Kagel.

At a special meeting 9 a.m. Monday, Joanie Hoffman was selected as the acting county clerk of courts by a 3-0 vote of the Marion County Commissioners.

She will hold the position until a new clerk of courts is selected by the Marion County Republican Party to fill Kagel's term, which expires at the beginning of 2021.

Hoffman had been the chief deputy clerk under Kagel, who was county clerk of courts from May 1999 until her resignation Friday.

Kagel submitted her resignation earlier this month, saying in a statement that the office "requires new direction." During her tenure, she had come under fire for backlogs in her office.

Hoffman, a Republican, is among the people who have submitted their resume to the local GOP for consideration for the position.

Hoffman said she did not plan on implementing major changes to the office while serving as acting clerk of courts but said she was anxious to "dig my heels in" and "get going as quickly as possible."

In all, there are 14 applicants for the office, said Marion County Republican Party Chair Robert Schultz, though he declined to give their names.

The party expects to hold interviews over several days this week. The meeting to appoint the new county clerk of courts is scheduled to take place Thursday, Oct. 25 at the local GOP headquarters, 114 S. Main St., in Marion.

However, Schultz said, the party may make the selection at a later date, depending on whether the local GOP's central committee members wish to conduct further interviews with certain candidates.

The local GOP must make a selection within 45 days of Friday, Oct. 12, when Kagel's resignation took effect.

The clerk of courts is responsible for filing, docketing, indexing and preserving court records for cases before the Marion County Court of Common Pleas, including civil and felony criminal cases. 

In addition, the clerk must issue writs to carry out court orders, including summons, subpoenas and warrants to arrest.

While Kagel was clerk, questions surfaced about her ability to do the job. In February, a report by the Cincinnati Enquirer found that Kagel was repeatedly months late in reporting criminal convictions to the state for the background check system used to screen potential gun buyers.

By not reporting that information, a person who is convicted of an offense in Marion County that legally bars them from owning a gun could pass a background check and buy one.

Kagel herself has acknowledged backlogs in her office. In a March interview with the Star, she said that her office was still putting information from 2016 criminal cases on the docket — the official record of court proceedings.

Last year, the Marion County clerk of courts was paid $66,002, the amount set by the Ohio legislature.

svolpenhei@gannett.com

740-375-5155

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