Sheila Rice elected clerk of courts, vows ‘dignity and respect’ for visitors

Sheila Rice

Sheila Rice

Nearly a year after being appointed to the job of Municipal Clerk of Courts, Sheila Rice on Tuesday easily won election.

Democrat Rice had 66.11% of votes to Republican John Anderson’s 33.89%, a margin of 22,910 to 11,745, according to final, unofficial results from the Clark County Board of Elections. It was the lone countywide contested race of this election.

She was appointed to the position in October, 2021, after the death of Guy Ferguson, the former clerk.

Rice said she is grateful for the bipartisan support in the election after her work on improving customer service within the court. She said this is “a great moment for Clark County” with voters coming together to support her.

“I never would have asked the lord to do something this great for me, but he did it,” Rice said.

She said she has made it her goal to make visiting the court the smoothest experience possible.

“When you come to the courthouse, it’s not because you want to be there, it’s because you have to be there,” Rice said. “But I vow to them, they will be served with dignity and respect, and quickly. We’re going to shine; were going to be a shining example of what customer service is for our Clark Countians.”

Rice is a graduate of Springfield High School. She also works as a Realtor for Coldwell Banker Heritage, a property appraiser for the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, and the owner of “The L” event venue in Springfield. Prior to working as a Realtor, Rice served as owner and deputy registrar of Ohio License Bureau South for 20 years. She also served as deputy clerk of Clark County Common Pleas Court.

Anderson has run in multiple campaigns for U.S. Congress for more than a decade. He’s a graduate of Youngstown State University and has a background in research and statistics. He served in the U.S. Air Force.

Rice said Republicans who supported her included a former county commissioner and former U.S. representative. She said she was nervous that people may not come out of their comfort zones to vote for her.

“We came together to do the Rice thing,” she said.

The clerk said she loves Springfield and Clark County and has stayed despite many of her family members moving.

“I never felt like I wanted to be any place else,” Rice said. “This is why I stay. This is where I belong.”

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