Two Republicans seek municipal clerk of courts seat
Incumbent Nancy Abbott challenged by Tom Decker
MEDINA – Although the Medina Municipal Court will get a new judge next year, the position of the person who helps ensure the court runs smoothly will also be decided by voters.
Like the judge, the Medina Municipal Clerk of Courts is an elected position who also has a six-year term.
Two Republicans are running in the primary May 2, and the winner is likely to run unopposed in November unless an independent candidate files election petitions by August.
With Municipal Judge Dale Chase retiring this year after 30 years on the bench, whoever serves as clerk next year will also be working with a new judge. Another concern for court officials is whether the city will move forward on either an expansion or construction of a new courthouse.
Nancy Abbott, 65, of Hinckley, has held the position since 2007 when the seat first became an elected post, and is up for re-election. She is being challenged by Tom Decker, 68, a retired police officer and disaster preparedness consultant who ran for county commissioner in 2012.
The office of clerk of courts is responsible for the handling of the thousands of civil, criminal and traffic cases, maintaining the records associated with them along with collecting and distributing fines and payments, Abbott said. One lesser-known duty includes the preparation and issuing of arrest warrants, which can involve some late-night phone calls.
The office currently employs five full-time deputy clerks and three part-time clerks, she said.
Abbott said current priorities in the clerk’s office include transitioning over to a new case management system, which will allow for electronic filing of motions and documents to the court. The goal is to have it up and running by the time the new judge takes office.
“It’s going to be a busy year and next year here,” Abbott said, adding the new system will allow records to be accessed more quickly.
In addition, court staff are working to digitize the over 300,000 paper files from old cases; these files are required to be kept for 50 years.
Decker, 68, of Medina, ran for county commissioner in the 2012 Republican primary and lost to Steve Hambley. After serving as a police officer for Parma Police, becoming the vehicle fleet manager, he worked for the Medina County Health Department in 2007 developing a emergency preparedness plan and helped form the county’s Medical Reserve Corps, a group where doctors, nurses and medics mobilize in times of emergency. He also helped coordinate a pandemic training exercise involving multiple agencies that doubled as a flu shot clinic.
He currently is employed part time as a security consultant for SACS Consulting and Investigative Services of Akron.
Decker said he is interested is becoming clerk due to his experience in the courts and law enforcement and that his first priority would be improving security in the courthouse and improving customer service.
“I think I’d bring a fresh perspective to the office, I think that’s a good thing,” he said.
If elected, Decker is also interested in rearranging deputy clerk duties, including creating the positions of chief deputy clerk, accounting manager for bookkeeping, an IT manager and supervisors responsible for the handling of traffic and civil cases.
Before becoming clerk of courts, Abbott served as county recorder for 10 years. She served as an alternate delegate for the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last year and is a former president of Medina Noon Kiwanis.
Voters who live in the jurisdiction of the Medina Municipal Court will be eligible to vote in the clerk race, which consists of most of the county with the exception of the south and eastern portions closest to Wadsworth. The clerk of court position pays $106,000 annually.
Like the judge, the Medina Municipal Clerk of Courts is an elected position who also has a six-year term.
Two Republicans are running in the primary May 2, and the winner is likely to run unopposed in November unless an independent candidate files election petitions by August.
With Municipal Judge Dale Chase retiring this year after 30 years on the bench, whoever serves as clerk next year will also be working with a new judge. Another concern for court officials is whether the city will move forward on either an expansion or construction of a new courthouse.
Nancy Abbott, 65, of Hinckley, has held the position since 2007 when the seat first became an elected post, and is up for re-election. She is being challenged by Tom Decker, 68, a retired police officer and disaster preparedness consultant who ran for county commissioner in 2012.
The office of clerk of courts is responsible for the handling of the thousands of civil, criminal and traffic cases, maintaining the records associated with them along with collecting and distributing fines and payments, Abbott said. One lesser-known duty includes the preparation and issuing of arrest warrants, which can involve some late-night phone calls.
The office currently employs five full-time deputy clerks and three part-time clerks, she said.
Abbott said current priorities in the clerk’s office include transitioning over to a new case management system, which will allow for electronic filing of motions and documents to the court. The goal is to have it up and running by the time the new judge takes office.
“It’s going to be a busy year and next year here,” Abbott said, adding the new system will allow records to be accessed more quickly.
In addition, court staff are working to digitize the over 300,000 paper files from old cases; these files are required to be kept for 50 years.
Decker, 68, of Medina, ran for county commissioner in the 2012 Republican primary and lost to Steve Hambley. After serving as a police officer for Parma Police, becoming the vehicle fleet manager, he worked for the Medina County Health Department in 2007 developing a emergency preparedness plan and helped form the county’s Medical Reserve Corps, a group where doctors, nurses and medics mobilize in times of emergency. He also helped coordinate a pandemic training exercise involving multiple agencies that doubled as a flu shot clinic.
He currently is employed part time as a security consultant for SACS Consulting and Investigative Services of Akron.
Decker said he is interested is becoming clerk due to his experience in the courts and law enforcement and that his first priority would be improving security in the courthouse and improving customer service.
“I think I’d bring a fresh perspective to the office, I think that’s a good thing,” he said.
If elected, Decker is also interested in rearranging deputy clerk duties, including creating the positions of chief deputy clerk, accounting manager for bookkeeping, an IT manager and supervisors responsible for the handling of traffic and civil cases.
Before becoming clerk of courts, Abbott served as county recorder for 10 years. She served as an alternate delegate for the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last year and is a former president of Medina Noon Kiwanis.
Voters who live in the jurisdiction of the Medina Municipal Court will be eligible to vote in the clerk race, which consists of most of the county with the exception of the south and eastern portions closest to Wadsworth. The clerk of court position pays $106,000 annually.
