Republicans secured the spots in the county clerk and recorder’s office.
Trena McLaughlin and Teresa Petro won the clerk and recorder elections, respectively, in Johnson County. They faced Democrats Kathy Stolz for clerk and Kyle Swain for recorder.
Petro won with 70 percent of the votes and McLaughlin with 68 percent.
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Both women had experience working in their respective offices. McLaughlin has worked in the clerk’s office for 21 years, and Petro as deputy recorder.
The county clerk reviews, processes and stores all records from criminal and civil courts, oversees the voter registration departments and runs county elections. The new clerk will be tasked with finding a way to secure and fund new voting machines that are needed to replace current, outdated ones.
McLaughlin’s plans to continue what works well in the office.
Her goal is to purchase new voting machines within the next year or two, she said.
The recorder is responsible for maintaining the county public records, mostly dealing with property and mortgages.
One of Petro’s goals includes continuing to make the office more digital friendly. The office is currently in the process of digitizing records.
“Technology is a big thing now, so we’re trying to keep up with what people need,” Petro said.
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County clerk
Trena McLaughlin, Republican;68%
Kathy Stolz, Democrat;32%
County recorder
Teresa Petro, Republican;70%
Kyle Swain, Democrat;30%
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