Hamilton County elections director Amy Searcy has been appointed to a domestic relations court judgeship, effective Monday.
The incumbent Republican judge, Beth Mattingly, and retired withdrawn as a candidate for re-election.
The Hamilton County Republican Party's executive committee appointed sent three names, including Searcy, to Gov. John Kasich for the Mattingly vacancy and he appointed Searcy to take her place. Searcy will replace Mattingly on the November ballot and run against Democrat Ray Pater, a lawyer from Clifton Heights who is executive director of the Butler County Child Support Enforcement Agency.
Hamilton County GOP chairman Alex Triantafilou, a member of the board of elections, said a search will being for a replacement for Searcy at the board of elections. Elections administrator Sherry Poland has been named interim director of the board of elections.
Under Ohio election, the county elections director has to be of the same political party as the Ohio secretary of state, while the chairman of the county elections board and the deputy director have to be from the other party. Secretary of State Jon Husted is a Republican. That is why Searcy's replacement at the board of elections will be a Republican.
