Face off for county clerk of courts seat

Sep. 28—Democrat Jodi Thurber is challenging Republican incumbent April Mariotti Daniels for the Ashtabula County Clerk of Courts seat in November's general election.

Mariotti Daniels has been in office as clerk of courts since 2021, and was unopposed in her primary.

Thurber worked for the county clerk of courts office from 2000-2023. Thurber said she worked under Mariotti Daniels for more than two years, before leaving and later running for the position.

Thurber became Democratic nominee in March after winning a primary against Stephanie Stolz.

Mariotti Daniels said if she wins another term, she wants to see through technological upgrades she's brought in her first term.

"It's going to take a lot of computer-savvy technology know-how to get trained and get it implemented without bugs," she said.

Thurber said she thinks the clerk office has become too inefficient under Daniels, including with its upgrades.

"I would like to quit wasting tax-payer money," she said. "I would like to bring our work up to date, because they're at least two weeks behind."

Mariotti Daniels said inefficiencies have been part of the office before her term.

"This office has been behind for many, many years," she said. "As far as I'm concerned, we are making leaps and bounds progress in streamlining and making things efficient, and we're only a couple days out on average as opposed to a couple months than it was in the past."

Thurber said her experience working for the county clerk office makes her great for the job.

"This office isn't Democrat or Republican," she said. "This office runs by knowledge. We have Ohio Revised Code. There's no political party affiliated with this office on how to do anything. Knowledge is what makes this office advance."

Thurber said she wants the clerk office to function apolitically.

"I wouldn't bring politics to the office," she said. "I'm not a good politician. I'm a terrible politician, and this part has been hard for me, because I'm not a politician. I just want to get in there and do the job."

Mariotti Daniels said her incumbency makes her more qualified for reelection than Thurber.

"I am well-roundedly qualified for this position," she said. "There is no other candidate on this ballot as the clerk of courts."

Mariotti Daniels said Thurber isn't experienced with the technological changes which have been brought under her term.

"We're being trained by the company who's installing it," she said. "[A future clerk] would have to hire somebody to come out and train them how to use the program. So, it would be rather difficult."