Nearly a week after ballots were counted, Clerk and Recorder-elect Stacey Nell accepts full-time position with town of Frisco
By Election Day, Nov. 8, 65% of Summit County voters cast ballots for Stacey Nell to lead the Summit County Clerk and Recorder’s Office. However, the county is now searching for her replacement now that Nell has accepted a full-time position with the town of Frisco.
“This is an unusual situation,” Summit County Commissioner Elisabeth Lawrence said. “This is rare.”
Frisco town officials issued a news release Tuesday, Nov. 15, announcing that Nell will be Frisco’s next town clerk and the town manager’s assistant. Until the news release, Lawrence said she didn’t know Nell had accepted another job.
Nell has served as Summit County’s chief deputy clerk and recorder since 2017. She announced her campaign to run for the clerk and recorder’s seat in March 2022 and won last week, receiving about 35% more votes than her opponent, Kay Robinson.
Stacey Nell declined an interview request with Summit Daily News but issued the following statement:
“I have accepted the Town Clerk position at the Town of Frisco. Although the timing wasn’t what I would have planned, the opportunity to serve the Frisco community in this capacity is one I couldn’t pass up,” Nell wrote. “I have enjoyed working for Summit County Government for the past 8 1/2 years, and am grateful for the people I’ve worked with and met during that time.”
On election night, Nell said she planned to continue her service with the Summit County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, saying her focus would be to safeguard elections and make the office more efficient.
Lawrence said, at first, she was shocked to hear of Nell’s decision to give up her seat.
Frisco communications director Vanessa Agee said Frisco’s town clerk position was posted on Sept. 9. The former clerk’s last public meeting was Oct. 11, and the final interviews for the position were on Friday, Nov. 11, Agee said.
Though Lawrence was surprised by the news, she pivoted to finding the right fit for the now-open job.
“I look at it as — we’ve got to get down to business and find someone to take that position,” Lawrence said, “and, of course, we’ve got to do our due diligence.”
Summit County Communications Director David Rossi said because of the unusual circumstances, commissioners will have to consult with county attorneys throughout the process of filling Nell’s seat.
As of now, Lawrence said Nell will leave her current position as deputy clerk and recorder like any other job. Nell plans to leave at the end of November, according to Lawrence, and she will begin her position in Frisco on Dec. 5, Agee said.
The current clerk and recorder, Kathleen Neel, will continue to serve until the beginning of January and will be tasked with finding a replacement for Nell’s soon-to-be-vacant chief deputy clerk position.
The commissioners are in charge of appointing a replacement for Nell’s seat as future clerk and recorder. However, due to the “gray area” of this situation, Lawrence said qualifications for the position are still unknown at this time.
Rossi said the county hopes to fill the role in December to ensure the new clerk and recorder will have a transition period before the new term begins in January.
Nell will be stepping into a role held by former Town Clerk Deborah Wohlmuth, who served the town of Frisco and its residents for almost 19 years. According to the news release, Wohlmuth took part in over 415 town council meetings, supported 10 Frisco election cycles, administered over 1,700 business licenses and facilitated over 50 liquor licenses.
Agee said the town of Frisco is grateful for Wohlmuth’s service and excited for Nell to get started.
“We hired the person who was, in our minds, the most qualified — a professional with excellent experience,” Agee said.
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