Licking County Republican voters will have the chance to weigh in on the future candidate for the Licking County Municipal Clerk of Courts position during the May 6 primary election.
The Municipal Clerk of Courts is responsible for any court duties that are beyond trying cases; managing case files, updating technology, and generally overseeing the administration and efficiency of the Licking County courts.
Current Clerk of Courts Marcia Phelps – who has served as clerk for the past 18 years – described the role as “laying out the protocol on how a new law affects a case’s management.”
Running to represent the Republican party in the May 6 primary are Etna resident and township trustee Gary Burkholder, 70, and Newark resident and State Central Committeewoman Carrie Masterson, 59.
Both Burkholder and Masterson say their backgrounds in politics and leadership positions in the community will help them succeed as the Republican nominee for court clerk.
Burkholder holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s in sociology from Bowling Green State University. He said that he has always been interested in working in a judicial position, and has worked in the governor’s office of criminal justice services and as a city councilman for Pickerington.
Burkholder was elected eight times as a Licking County’s Republican State Central Committee member, and says he holds a “passion for public safety.”
“The Clerk of Courts can have a positive impact in [public safety], both with their efficiency and effectiveness, but also with customer service – and that’s important,” he said.
Burkholder prioritizes efficiency with his running platform, naming updates to the technology as a significant issue that he wants to work on if he is elected in November.
Funding was allocated for Ohio appeals, common pleas, municipal, and county courts in June 2024 to update their digital case management, operate remote hearings and modernize hardware and software for case filings.
“I know that the [Licking County] Common Pleas court is implementing a new technology system,” Burkholder said. “And those are the kinds of things I would want to implement in the [Municipal] court.”
He also wants to work closely with Newark City Council’s newly-established HOME Court. He says that his already-established relationships with Newark Mayor Jeff Hall and elected officials around the county and the Licking County Sheriff are “critically important” to implement the types of “improvements and reforms” that are needed in the Clerk of Courts office.
“We need someone that not only has the credentials but also has worked with other social service agencies,” he said. “I did both as a probation officer and a bailiff, so I have a tremendous amount of contacts [with] law enforcement agencies [and the fire department].”
Burkholder says he wants to bring “fiscal accountability” and “improved customer service” to the Municipal Clerk of Courts’ office.
Masterson also has a background in public service.
She holds an associate’s degree in court reporting from Plaza College, formerly Bliss Business College, in Columbus, and has served as district director for the Ohio Court Reporters Association, and as the Ohio Republican State Central Committeewoman for District 20, covering Licking, Fairfield and Perry counties.
Masterson began as a legal secretary for then-attorney Tom Marcelain, who has now served as judge of the Licking County Common Pleas Court for 22 years, and served before that for 13 years as judge of the Licking County Municipal Court.
Masterson then accepted a position to work with Judge Marcelain as he served as the Licking County Municipal Court judge before he moved to the Common Pleas Court in 2003. She then moved over to the Licking County Common Pleas Court as a court reporter for Judge Gregory Frost.
“The fact that I do have a good connection with a lot of the agencies: I know generally how the Municipal Clerk of Courts runs,” said Masterson. “I have a good relationship with the other departments in the city and law enforcement agencies that the Clerk of Courts interacts with.”
Her current endorsements include Newark Mayor Jeff Hall, Newark City Council President Jeff Harris and councilmember Beth Bline.
Masterson highlights her ability to build relationships and being a team player as other significant reasons to why she is the best candidate. She says her time as Ohio State Central Committeewoman for District 20 has been important for these skills.
“Working with people across the state and within my district, especially with the local parties and political clubs [to build] a grassroots effort: that’s what I’ve really focused on,” she said.
Masterson emphasizes how important it is to work at a grassroots level, from the bottom-up, to address oncoming issues.
“Currently the Municipal Clerk of Courts takes e-citations from law enforcement agencies,” she said. “But as Municipal Clerk of Courts, I would be overseeing the new e-filing capability for everyone – for attorneys to file pleadings [and] officers to file citations directly from their cursors that come into the clerk’s office.”
The winner of this Republican primary on May 6 will face the only running Democrat, James M. Dawson, on the Nov. 4 ballot for the Municipal Clerk of Courts.
For the first time in 18 years, the ballot will not feature retiring Democrat Marcia Phelps, who will have served three consecutive 6-year terms by the end of her current term. Phelps served 13 years on Newark City Council, and then was the Licking County commissioner for 11 years before becoming the Licking County Municipal Court Clerk.
“I’m excited to be able to move onto other things!” Phelps said. “I’m sure there’ll be some volunteer work in mind.”
In her time as court clerk, Phelps introduced the digital filing of case tickets and reorganized the “scattered” case files she inherited; the Licking County Municipal Court still maintains hard case copies. While using “e-ticketing” is not unique to courts in Ohio, she notes that the technology updates are very important to implement over nearly two decades of technological advancement.
Phelps says she is grateful for the support of her family, friends and thousands of people she has met and who continue to give her their support.
Early voting began on Tuesday, April 8, at the board of elections office at 20 S. 2nd Street in Newark. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. from April 28-May 2, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 3, and 1-5 p.m. on Sunday, May 4. On Election Day, May 6, polls will be open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Owen Baker writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.