A year-long election cycle came to a conclusion on Thursday, Dec. 27, 2018 with a swearing-in ceremony for three circuit court judges and six county officials at the Jasper County Courthouse in Carthage.
Those who took oaths of offices included Associate Circuit Court Judges John Nicholas and Joseph Hensley and Jerry Holcomb, Circuit Court Judge David Mouton, County Auditor Sarah Hoover, County Clerk Charlie Davis, Prosecutor Theresa McKinney, Circuit Clerk Melissa Holcomb, County Recorder of Deeds Charlotte Feather Pickering and Presiding Commissioner John Bartosh.
Also sworn in was new Family Court Commissioner Angela Vorhees, who was appointed to her position by the six judges of the Jasper County Circuit Court.
Jerry Holcomb was elected to replace the retiring Associate Circuit Judge Steve Carlton; Hoover replaces retiring County Auditor Richard Webster and Davis won the election to replace the retiring County Clerk Marilyn Baugh. All will serve four-year terms.
Judges Nicholas, Hensley and Mouton, and Circuit Clerk Melissa Holcomb, Prosecutor McKenney, Recorder Pickering and Presiding Commissioner Bartosh were all reelected to new four-year terms.
The process of running for the elected offices began in January and February of 2018 when several candidates filed to run for county office.
Candidates campaigned hard in June and July ahead of August where several contested races in the Republican primary were decided.
No Democrats ran for office in Jasper County, so that made the November county elections more of a formality.
Vorhees was selected as the new family court administrator by the Jasper County Circuit Court judges when it was clear that Jerry Holcomb, the first adminstrator who held the position for 12 years, would not have any opposition in his campaign for Carlton’s seat on the Division 6 bench.
The family court administrator works under the supervision of the Division 6 Associate Circuit bench, meaning Holcomb will continue to be involved with the position.
All these officials started their terms on Jan. 1.
