MANSFIELD — Richland County will have a newly elected Clerk of Courts in January.
Voters will decide Nov. 5 between Republican Denise Ruhl, 53, and Democrat Chris Adams, 63, for the seat responsible for maintaining and safeguarding court records — criminal and civil — and collecting and disbursing public funds.
Ruhl seeks to retain the seat to which she was appointed by Republicans in July 2023. She was picked to complete the term of Lin Frary, who left office due to illness and died in January 2024.
Here is a look at both candidates:
Chris Adams
Adams had a three-decade career in law enforcement, investigating fraud cases for the state auditor’s office, working in the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office and as a corrections officer and supervisor in the state prison system.
He came to Richland County in 2010 to work at the Richland Correctional Institution, rising to the rank of captain. He retired 10 years later, concluding a 31-year career.
He said his time in the auditor’s office helped spark his interest in serving the community and making sure everything was “above board.”
Adams said he has seen technology change over the years in all professions. But, he said, he learned the importance of “doing it right the first time” in the days of paper records.
In terms of his management style with the more than two dozen clerk’s office employees, Adams said he is “firm, fair and consistent” in terms of dealing with those he manages.
“There are not going to be any surprises,” he said. “Everything will be above board and out in the open.”
Growing up in Elyria, Adams said his mother was active in the NAACP, which helped him to understand the political world.
“She was politically savvy,” he said. “As a kid, I went to every dinner, every event. There was not a question. It was ‘Get your coat and let’s go.'”
He said that background helped him learn to look at the needs of all people.
“All people have color,” he said. “That’s what the NAACP is there for. That’s what I got from (growing up around the NAACP).”
Adams mounted an unsuccessful campaign in 2023 for Madison Township trustee, an experience he said began when friends who grew up in Richland County spoke to him at a backyard barbecue and suggested he get involved.
“I didn’t know anything about running for an office. It was trial and error and bumping your head. But when you bump your head, you better learn something,” he said.
If elected, Adams said he would be an active clerk and would not just sit behind a desk.
“I’m going to do everything that’s supposed to be done,” promising transparency in his office.
Denise Ruhl
A resident of Butler, Ruhl said she has 31 years of experience working in the local courts, while her opponent has none.
She joined the clerk’s office in 1993 before moving to work for Commons Pleas judges James Henson and James DeWeese from 1996 to 2005.
Frary appointed Ruhl as chief deputy clerk of courts in 2005, a position she held until replacing her former boss last year.
“I want to continue doing a job that I truly love doing,” Ruhl said.
“If elected, it would allow me to finish implementing e-filing in the criminal and domestic filings in the legal office. This would allow a much more efficient process for the courts and attorneys,” she said.
“My strong work ethic and dedication to this job is something I can promise to continue to provide in both the legal and auto title offices,” she said.
Ruhl graduated from Clear Fork High School in 1989 and from Bradford Business College in Columbus.
The decision to hire Ruhl was one of Frary’s first decisions she she was initially elected in 2004. The two had worked together since 1996 in the courts and Ruhl remained with Frary for the past 18 years.
Frary said at the time she hoped her long-time friend gets the clerk’s position on a permanent basis.
“Denise has the best work ethic I have ever seen. She has the energy that I have lost completely,” Frary said at the time.
