Clark County commissioners appoint Bonnie Sakaitis as acting county recorder

The Board of Clark County Commissioners voted unanimously on July 13, 2026, to appoint Bonnie Sakaitis as Acting County Recorder after the board acknowledged Recorder Nancy Pence's resignation effective July 10, 2026. The appointment was adopted as Resolution 2026-0546 and cited Ohio Revised Code Section 305.02 for temporary appointment procedures.

Bonnie Sakaitis, who the board identified in meeting materials as a long-time assistant in the Recorder’s Office, thanked the commissioners for their confidence and said she is "ready to do the job." She told the board she plans to return to the Recorder’s Office as a working recorder and said she intends to run for County Recorder; she added she hopes to receive the Republican Party’s appointment and nomination. Commissioner Greg R. Kaffenbarger said he has spoken with Sakaitis’s treasurer and plans to endorse her.

The motion to acknowledge the resignation and appoint Sakaitis was moved by Commissioner Greg R. Kaffenbarger and seconded by Commissioner Charles A. Patterson. The roll call vote was recorded as: Kaffenbarger, Yes; Patterson, Yes; Sasha L. Rittenhouse, Yes. The resolution directs that Sakaitis serve as Acting County Recorder immediately upon passage on July 13, 2026, until the appointing central committee names a qualified successor under Section 305.02 of the Ohio Revised Code.

The board did not set an internal timeline for filling permanent staffing gaps in the Recorder’s Office during the meeting; Sakaitis told commissioners the office is short-staffed and she hopes to restore full staffing.