/Mount Vernon News
Knox County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard Wetzel, left, administers the oath of office to Christine Staton during a ceremony with staff, friends and other government officials on Friday, August 30, 2019
Staton read prepared remarks, offering that she has worked in the county clerk’s office since 1998, first for clerk Nancy Vial for six months and from then on under Mary Jo Hawkins, who retired at the end of August following a 49-year career. Staton, who received her administrative education at Hocking College in Nelsonville, will need to run in the county’s Republican Primary and be on the ballot March 17 of next year, she said.
Like Hawkins, Staton said she will run both the clerk’s office and the Title office on Sandusky Street. She said she is well-trained in handling clerk and title matters as well as items involving bookkeeping, computerized records, and the filings with the Court of Appeals. She offered that her main emphasis on a personal and professional level is “to be respectful to each and every person that comes through the doors.”
Whether it is older files — which Staton said she knows how to search for and find — or newer filings, she said her knowledge gained over 20 years in the Clerk’s Office includes being part of three computer software upgrades. A new, ongoing upgrade she has been involved in for records involves e-filing.
“I am the main contact in the office that reaches out to the software company to resolve problems we encounter with forms, public access, financial reports and assisting the judge’s office to ensure the Supreme Court report is correct before it is submitted,” Staton said.
Asked how long she plans to remain in the position if she is continually elected, Staton said another 15 is her goal, and possibly another 20 years.
McConville noted she will not have to worry about Notary Public duties, since the Clerk’s Office does not handle notary signatures. Due to new state rules on Notary Public requirements, McConville said his office is soon to “get out of the business” of having to provide testing for notary exams, which will be done online.
[ee]
