Orange County commissioners appoint Heidi Ewing interim clerk of court

Orange County commissioners voted on April 21 to appoint Heidi Ewing as interim clerk of court, the board announced at its meeting. The appointment follows the current clerk's retirement effective April 30 and is scheduled to begin May 1.

Cliff Meares, who identified himself on the record as a county commissioner and called the meeting to order, introduced a resolution to appoint Heidi Ewing from the clerk of court's office. The board moved and seconded the measure, and the commissioners recorded affirmative votes; the chair congratulated Ewing after the motion carried.

Ewing told commissioners she has worked in the clerk's office for 31 years, beginning in the auto title department and later serving in domestic and fiscal divisions. She said she also recently served as chief deputy to the current clerk and that she has been negotiating the office's unit contract for roughly 28 years "first on the side of the union and then on the side of management," which she said gives her familiarity with how to operate within the office guidelines.

Ewing said two backup bookkeeper positions already exist in the office budget but are not currently utilized; she said activating those positions would allow staff to turn over more cases to a program with the attorney general's office that can capture state tax refunds and lottery winnings, increasing collections. "They're actually in our budget," she said, describing the positions as budgeted but unused.

A commissioner noted to Ewing that, while serving as interim, there should be no requests for additional appropriations or adding headcount beyond what is budgeted; Ewing acknowledged the guidance. The board recorded the appointment as interim until the county central committee formally exercises appointing authority for the unexpired term, and the seat will appear on the November ballot to fill the remainder of the term, according to statements at the meeting.

Reporters asked about the scheduling of the central committee meeting to make a formal appointment; participants cited June 4 and June 5 and corrected an earlier reference to the wrong year. The board also noted a local ribbon-cutting event on June 4, which may affect scheduling.

The appointment allows the clerk's office to remain staffed through the transition; the board did not approve any additional appropriations at the meeting. The central committee appointment timeline and the November ballot filling the unexpired term are the next procedural steps noted during the session.