SANDUSKY REGISTER EDITORIAL

In today’s Sandusky Register, there appeared an extremely well written editorial by their Editorial Board (Douglas D. Phares, Publisher; Matt Westerhold, Managing Editor; Kathy Lilje, Features Editor; and Mike Schaeffer, Chief Design Editor). This editorial, while not able to be viewed on line unless you are a SR Online Subscriber, was in the Sunday, March 13, 2011 print edition on page D5. The title of the column was “WHERE IS BARB JOHNSON?” and is reprinted below:

“Erie County Clerk of Courts Barb Johnson has been out of the office for months with an unspecified illness.

While we wish her a speedy recovery, we would hope in her absence the department continues to serve county residents. If those duties are not being done effectively and efficiently, and if Johnson remains unavailable to perform the job county voters elected her to do, by law it’s time to move on.

For at least two years, Johnson has had funds available to hire two additional employees who could focus solely on posting court documents on the Internet, according to Erie County commissioner Bill Monaghan.

‘It’s not fair for the citizens of Erie County to not have an idea or a clear picture as to what’s going to happen in (Johnson’s) office,’ Monaghan said about Johnson’s extended absence.

Not fair indeed. While we respect Johnson’s privacy and need to tend to her personal matters, we have to object when it begins to interfere with how county government operates.

Are Erie County taxpayers getting their money’s worth from the Clerk of Courts? As evidence by the lack of progress in developing online records, apparently not. Even more troubling is the thought that other improvements in the department are likely on the back burner as well within the leader-less department. If the department can’t get it online, it’s time to get it in line – and soon.

Is it fair to want to know why Barb Johnson hasn’t been working? Send us a letter: See forum Guidelines on this page.”


Well, there you have it Ladies and Gentlemen. The only thing we would like to add is that she has actually been MIA for the past 20 plus years. We have already posted articles on this website about her lack of attendance, her lack of leadership, and receiving funds to put records on line. Here are a few of those articles we would like to resurrect from the past:

$37,000 TO PUT RECORDS ON LINE

JOHNSON'S ACHIEVEMENTS OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS

IS BARB JOHNSON ROBBING THE TAX PAYERS?

LEADERSHIP: DOES JOHNSON HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?


We hope the SR keeps on top of Johnson for they can help a lot to get her out of office in 2012. We here at Clerk of Court Watch firmly believe that no matter how sick she is, she will run again in 2012. We also believe that the voters will again vote her in office unless the voters are bombarded with this kind of information.