County Commissioner

We will elect two of the three county commissioners in 2024. The only qualification
required to run for county commissioner is that you must be a registered voter in Clermont
County. County commissioners are paid $ 81, 157.00 per year.
The duties and powers of the County Commission are set forth in many sections of Title
Three of the Ohio Revised Code. In general, the county commission is the primary executive
office of the County. The Commission is responsible for managing the County’s finances,
including setting the County budget and imposing taxes and issuing bonds (usually subject to
voter approval). According to the County’s 2022 annual report, the County had general fund
revenues of almost $ 76 million and general fund expenses over $ 77 million. The commission
may also grant tax abatements. The Commission is responsible for constructing and
maintaining county buildings and is responsible for the County-owned personal property (e.g.,
county vehicles, tools, computers). The Commission also has responsibility over County
employees, setting County personnel policies and allocating funds to the county departments
for employee pay. The Commission has responsibility for implementing various Federal
programs within the County. The Commission is responsible for the economic development of
the County. The Commission directly oversees eleven departments. County operations under
the direct control of the Commission include the County Emergency Management Agency, the
County Water Department, and the Animal Shelter.
The Commission meets every Wednesday, except on holidays; and on the second and
fourth Mondays of the month January through June. Commissioners also devote substantial
time to their jobs outside of Commission meetings. The incumbent commissioners are David
Painter and Bonnie Batchler. As of this writing, we expect both to run for re-election in 2024.
The third Commission seat, now held by Claire Corcoran, will be up for election in 2026.

County Treasurer

The County Treasurer collects taxes, both current and delinquent. The Treasurer holds
and invests the County’s money. According to the Treasurer’s website, the balance of the
County’s investment portfolio averages $ 110 million daily. The Treasurer collects taxes on
behalf of other government units such as townships and school boards and disburses money to
those units. The Treasurer is paid $ 67,525.00 per year. The only qualification required to run
for County Treasurer is that you be a registered voter in the County. The incumbent Treasurer
is Jeannie Zurmehly. As of this writing, we expect her to run for re-election.

Prosecuting Attorney

The Prosecuting Attorney is the County’s legal officer. A person running for this office
must be an attorney-at-law licensed and in good standing in Ohio. The person must also be a
registered voter in Clermont County. The Prosecutor leads a staff of 25 assistant prosecuting
attorneys and 18 non-lawyers. Lawyers from this office prosecute misdemeanor and felony
criminal cases in the County. The office also provides legal advice to all other county
government agencies and to some townships and represents those agencies and townships in
civil matters in court. The Prosecutor is paid $ 145,603.00 per year. The current Prosecutor is
Mark Tekulve, whom we expect will run for re-election in 2024.

County Recorder

The Recorder’s primary responsibility is to receive and record for public reference all
documents affecting real estate in county such as deeds, mortgages, easements, and plats.
There are no special qualifications needed to run for Recorder besides being a registered voter
in Clermont County. The Recorder is paid $ 70,793.00 per year. The current Recorder is
Deborah Clepper. We expect her to run for re-election in 2024.

Clerk of Common Pleas Court

Clermont County has two elected Clerks of Court, one for Common Pleas Court and one
for Municipal Court. We will elect a Clerk of Common Pleas Court in 2024. The Clerk maintains
all the records of the Court of Common Pleas in both civil and criminal matters. The Clerk
receives fines, holds bonds, and collects court costs. The Clerk receives processes filings in the
Court of Appeals for cases which originated in Clermont County. The Clerk also issues and
transfers titles for motor vehicles and watercraft. There are no special qualifications required
to run for Clerk beyond being a registered voter in the County. The Clerk’s annual salary is $
75,749.00. Barbara Wiedenbien is the current Clerk. We expect her to run for re-election.

County Engineer

The County Engineer is responsible for building, maintaining, repairing, and improving
all County roads and bridges as well as township bridges and culverts. To run for Engineer, you
must be a registered professional engineer and a registered surveyor in the State of Ohio as
well as a registered voter in Clermont County. The Engineer is paid $ 117,732.00 per year.

County Sheriff

The Sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer in the County. The Sheriff oversees a
large department of sworn deputy sheriffs and civilian personnel. The Sheriff’s staff
investigates crimes committed in the county and patrols many parts of the county. The
Sheriff’s law enforcement staff includes a dive team and a “special response” team, what most
of us might call a SWAT team. The Sheriff operates the county jail and employs a staff of
corrections officers for that purpose. The Sheriff also provides services to the courts in the
County, ranging from conducting court-ordered sales of property to serving legal papers to
proving courthouse security.
There are minimum requirements for law enforcement training and experience that a
person must meet to be eligible to run for Sheriff. A description of those requirements is too
long to put here. The requirements to be eligible to run for Sheriff are found in Ohio Revised
Code Section 311.01. The Sheriff’s current annual salary is
$ 94,546.00. The current Sheriff is R. Steven Leahy. Our understanding is that Mr. Leahy does
not intend to run for re-election in 2024.

County Coroner

The Coroner determines cause of death when someone dies in violent or suspicious
circumstances and issues death certificates. A person must have been licensed to practice
medicine in Ohio for at least the two years immediately preceding the election to be eligible to
run for Coroner. The current annual salary is
$ 63, 334.00. The incumbent coroner is Dr. Brian Treon. We do not know whether Dr. Treon
will seek re-election in 2024 but assume that he will.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

In addition to county offices, we will be electing our representatives to the Ohio General
Assembly in 2024. The General Assembly, consisting of the Ohio House of Representatives and
Ohio Senate, passes all state laws. State Representatives are elected every two years in even-
numbered years. State Senators are elected every four years in even numbered years. To be
eligible to run for the Ohio House or the Ohio Senate, a person must be a current resident of

the Senate or House District and must have lived in the district for at least a year preceding the
election. A person must also be a registered voter in the district in which they want to run.
We will be electing a state senator from the 14 th Ohio Senate District. The district covers
all of Clermont, Brown, Adams, and Scioto Counties. State senators serve four-year terms. Our
current State Senator is Republican Terry Johnson of Portsmouth, Ohio. For his Senate service
in 2022, Mr. Johnson was paid $ 77,674.00. We expect him to run for re-election in 2024.
Two Ohio House of Representatives districts cover parts of Clermont County. The 62 nd
District covers Miami Township, Union Township, Stonelick Township, Goshen Township, the
City of Milford, and the Clermont County part of the City of Loveland. The incumbent is
Republican Jean Schmidt of Miami Township. For her House service in 2022, Mrs. Schmidt was
paid $ 68,674.00. She is expected to run for re-election in 2024. Schmidt will be seeking her
third consecutive term in the Ohio House.
The 63 rd Ohio House District covers all of Clermont County not in the 62 nd District and the
western half of Brown County. The incumbent Representative for the 63 rd District is Republican
Adam Bird of Clermont County. For his House service in 2022, Mr. Bird was paid $ 73,653.00.
He is expected to run for re-election in 2024. Bird will also be seeking his third consecutive
term in the Ohio House.
Members of the Ohio House and Senate are term limited. State Senators may serve no
more than two consecutive four-year terms. State Representatives may serve no more than
four consecutive two-year terms. Representatives Schmidt and Bird may run for re-election in
2024 and 2026. If Senator Johnson wins re-election in 2024, he would not be eligible to run for
the Ohio Senate again in 2028