MANSFIELD – Mansfield Municipal Court Judges Frank Ardis Jr. and Jerry Ault as well as Mansfield Municipal Clerk of Court Dan Smith have filed petitions with the Richland County Board of Elections seeking reelection in 2017.
The three men officially announced their intention to run for reelection on Wednesday, Dec. 21. According to Bill Freytag, deputy director at the Richland County Board of Elections, submitting a petition for reelection requires a certain number of signatures, validation, and certification by the Board of Elections to appear on the ballot.
“That has to be done 90 days prior to the election, which makes the deadline Feb. 1, 2017,” Freytag said. “We’ll have people filing all the way up to the first of February, but we don’t anticipate a lot because it’s an off-year election.”
Judges Frank Ardis Jr. and Jerry Ault stated they hoped to continue to establish progressive goals for the court, increasing efficiencies and effectiveness while improving offender outcomes through innovative sentencing options. Additionally, the court hopes to continue to challenge staff to find new ways to improve successful probation outcomes while reducing recidivism rates.
The probation department of the court oversees nearly 2,000 offenders annually, while the Clerk of Court processes nearly 30,000 criminal and civil filings each year. Judge Ault stated one of the court’s greatest challenges is to continue to operate an “efficient, innovative” court system while reducing impact on the city’s budget.
“During the 2017 budget process the court’s requested budget was less than that budgeted in 2016,” Ault said. “In fact, less than 10 percent of the courts annual budget comes from local taxpayers. Innovation is not just implementing evidenced based programs to reduce repeat offenders or efficiency improvements, its finding ways to offset the cost of these processes to the taxpayer.”
Judge Ardis noted that in addition to improved efficiencies, the court has developed unique opportunities to positively impact offender behavior and benefit not only the offender but their family and community.
“If we are successful with those involved in misdemeanor offenses, then ultimately our jails and prison populations will be reduced, saving taxpayers millions of dollars spent on corrections,” Ardis said. “Although many before this court must serve jail time and pay for their crimes, it is our ultimate goal to not see them again in this environment.”
In the Clerk of Court’s office, Dan Smith aims to use technology in order to become more efficient and effective. One of the most significant technology transitions was undertaken by the court and clerk last year, when the court’s probation department implemented new software and the first steps in a paperless environment were taken with new scanner software and document scanners.
“The clerk also began implementation of new software, which will digitize much of the work done in the office including processing law enforcement tickets, and pushing more detailed and timely information to the public,” Smith said. “The best part of the entire project: no cost to the local taxpayer. Grants, fines and costs implemented by the court and collected by the clerk’s office paid for the software and systems, which cost nearly half a million dollars.”
Petitions for positions in the city of Mansfield, city of Shelby and city of Ontario on the ballot in 2017 are available to be issued now. The filing deadline for the city of Mansfield and city of Ontario is Feb. 1, 2017; the filing deadline for the city of Shelby is Feb. 16, 2017. Non-partisan petitions for trustees, fiscal officers, and school boards will be available starting in April, with a filing deadline of Aug. 9, 2017.
