ELECTION 2020: Incumbent faces newcomer in clerk of court race

Dave Wadsworth has served as the Medina County clerk of courts for nine years. This March, Wadsworth will face a primary opponent in Michael Scibetta of Medina. Scibetta is seeking elected office for the first time. There isn't a current challenger for the November general election, meaning the winner of the Wadsworth-Scibetta face off could assume the job January 2021. Name: Dave Wadsworth Residence: Brunswick Party: Republican Education: Bachelor of business administration, associate of arts, Supreme Court of Ohio Judicial College Certified Court Manager and Certified Court Executive in addition to Leadership Medina County class of 2012 and Ohio State Leadership training courses through OSU Extension in Medina. Occupation: Current Medina County clerk of Common Pleas Courts Family: Married to wife Barbara and has three daughters Name: Michael Scibetta Residence: Medina Party: Republican Education: Bachelor of science degree in business management Occupation: Retired from Westfield Insurance Family: Married to wife Terri and has one stepdaughter What makes you the best candidate for the position? Wadsworth: I am the best candidate for Medina County Clerk of Common Pleas Court because of my nine years of hands-on experience as clerk and my track record of accomplishments. I run the clerk of courts offices like a business and customer service is my top priority. I am a 25-plus-year member of the Medina County Republican Central and Executive Committees. I have transferred $3.6 million in profits from the title offices to the county for sheriff's cruisers, voting machines and other items to prevent increasing taxes. I completed the prestigious three-year Supreme Court of Ohio's Judicial College Certified Court Manager and three-year Level II Certified Court Executive programs. I also eliminated a dangerous safety issue by working together with our landlord, Buehler's Fresh Foods and Medina Mayor Hanwell to more than double the size of the parking lot used by the Medina Title Office at no cost to taxpayers. I salvaged our failing software system by upgrading it to Microsoft Windows, converted more than 3 terabytes of vital data to allow us to keep the system running and moved 20,000 plus archived files when the new owner of our storage facility decided to move them to Brecksville. I created a new archives by using our staff. Scibetta: I believe the clerk of courts role is that of a business manager. Key responsibilities include leading a group of people responsible for maintaining all legal records filed in the Medina County Common Pleas Court as well as the motor vehicle and watercraft titles issued through the three county title offices. Equally important is partnering effectively with the courts and assisting with their case management through filing, docketing and indexing. I have over 40 years of leadership experience in the hospitality and insurance industries. I have proven to be a strong leader who collaborates effectively in team environments. I am driven by results and motivate employees by setting high standards and working hard alongside of them. Additionally, I have successfully produced new revenue for the corporations I have worked for and managed multimillion-dollar budgets. With some of the upcoming initiatives in the county, including the need for a new case management system, experienced leadership and teamwork will be critical. What are the biggest challenges facing Medina County and how would you address them? Wadsworth: Medina County has many significant issues facing it presently. The largest in my opinion is the opioid crisis and the resulting crime and devastation to the victims of these crimes and families. This one issue is overburdening our court system as well as our jail and while it has somewhat decreased, it needs to be dealt with effectively as our jail is becoming a de facto detox center. Medina County is also experiencing enormous growth and the resulting demands on our infrastructure will be challenging and these plans must be well executed or they will result in larger problems. With the aging population, we must do what we can to be able to provide affordable housing and I am just glad that we have some great programs like Feeding Medina County and the Home Delivered Meals program managed by the Office of Older Adults. My office is an administrative office and does not make or influence political or legal decisions. My office is primarily responsible to legal filings in felony criminal, domestic relations and civil matters as well as the filing of appeals in the 9th District Court of Appeals. I also manage the three Medina title offices and the county archives. Scibetta: From a clerk of courts perspective, the biggest challenge is the courts' need for new technology. Specifically, a new case management system. Identifying and purchasing the best system is only the first step. Converting older records, training personnel on the use of the new system and integrating the system with existing county software are critical to the success of the new system. I have led committees and participated on committees that were involved with purchasing and implementing new systems and technology. Working with the courts in this capacity is a distinct strength that I bring to the position of clerk of courts.