New county officeholders getting settled in
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (Jan. 7, 2025) – There are a couple of new faces at the Tuscarawas County Courthouse this week.
Lori Gardner spent her first day as recorder catching up on paperwork and getting to know her staff.
“So far, I’m settling in, just trying to keep things running smooth, and enjoying what I’m doing so far.”
Upstairs, former New Philadelphia city councilman Mitch Pace was learning the ins and outs of his new role as a county commissioner.
“Doing city council for three years, I had that under my belt pretty good and now I’m signing papers today. It’s something new so I’m just looking forward to it.”
Democrat Wendy Clarke-Jones ran unopposed to replace Jeanne Stephen as Clerk of Courts, who retired at the end of 2024. She felt well-prepared after spending the past couple of months training with her predecessor and more than two decades before that with the New Philadelphia Municipal Court probation department.
“Our clerk’s office in the municipal court, I had to work with them to deal with some of my clients for probation, so I wasn’t totally out of the loop. It’s a little bit of change but I don’t feel like I’m totally out of the realm of what I do.”
Gardner and Pace, both Republicans, won their respective races in November. They replace two other newly-retired longtime officeholders – Lori Smith and Chris Abbuhl.