Patricia Cassidy is asking the voters to return her to a fourth term as the East Ridge Municipal Court Clerk. She is opposed by Misty Chauncey, a licensed practical nurse and real estate agent.

Throughout her 12 years in elective office, Cassidy said she not only has had to fight for votes, but she says she has had to fight staff and elected officials inside city hall.

“They’ve never treated me as an elected official,” Cassidy said last week. “I can’t figure it out.”

Perhaps that’s because prior to 2014 the city of East Ridge had an appointed Municipal Court Clerk.

In 2012 then-court clerk JoAnn Thomas got sideways with the city manager. The court was being  run fast and loose, some said. Thomas and her staff, Cassidy said, would take money out of the cash drawer and leave IOUs.

Because Thomas was a long-time employee she was going to be hard to fire. The best way to deal with the issue was to turn the position into an elective office, and that’s just what city officials did.

Cassidy, who had worked for an attorney doing title searches through much of East Tennessee and had 20 years of working knowledge in the court system, threw her hat in the ring. She bested Cubby Owens, a former ERPD police officer who was then working in the home-improvement business, to become the city’s first elected court clerk.

She was returned to office four years later when she faced a challenge by former parks and recreation supervisor, Wayne Thompson.

In 2022 things got interesting. City officials put a referendum on the ballot that would abolish the elected office of Municipal Court Clerk and return it to an appointed position.

That referendum failed and Cassidy ran for a third term unopposed.

This election cycle, Cassidy is being challenged by Chauncey.

Chauncey said that she wants to be the next Municipal Court Clerk to serve her community.

“Mike and I have always valued being active in our community, and his involvement with the East Ridge City Council showed me firsthand how public service can make a difference,” Chauncey said in a written statement to East Ridge News Online. “After speaking with several people and learning more about the court clerk’s position, I felt my background would allow me to contribute to an organized, dependable office that serves our community well.”

Chauncey said her background in nursing, real estate, and business has given her organizational skills, skills in documentation and customer service that she can bring to the clerk’s office.

“I understand this is a hands-on position, and I am prepared to learn the court’s procedures, complete the necessary training, and work alongside the staff to fulfill its daily responsibilities,” she said.

She said her top priorities in office would be learning each staff member’s responsibilities an making sure the staff has the training and support needed.

“I want to maintain a positive, professional workplace where everyone works together to serve the people who use our court system,” Chauncey said.

Chauncey has the full support of East Ridge Councilwoman Aundie Witt.

“I support change,” Witt said in a telephone conversation on Monday afternoon. “I do not have anything against Pat, I think it’s time for change.”

Witt took to social media in recent weeks championing Chauncey, saying the inexperienced contender can essentially learn on the job.

Witt said she believes the court clerk’s office has had too much turnover under Cassidy. She was waiting for the city’s response to an open records request she filed recently _ concerning staffing, complaints from citizens, details about computer systems, who the clerk reports to, and in-depth financial reports about fines, court costs, and outstanding fines – to get the exact numbers.

Late Monday afternoon Witt forwarded the information she received from her open records request to East Ridge News Online and posted the documents on social media. It showed that 14 people have worked under Cassidy in the court clerk’s office over the last 12 years. One was terminated, six resigned, four transferred to other city departments, and one retired.

Witt also received information about several employees who filed complaints in 2022 with the human resources department. Those allegations included a hostile work environment and sexual harassment.

Cassidy said she was never informed of any such complaints and if there was a serious investigation into the complaints, she was unaware of it.

Cassidy said the employee complaints roughly coincided with the referendum to abolish her elected position. She believes the complaints were political.

Witt told East Ridge News Online on Monday that her preference is that the court clerk once again becomes an appointed city job, not an elected position.

“It would give the city manager some leeway,” Witt said.

When asked why Witt is such a staunch opponent of hers, Cassidy said, “I can’t figure it out.”

“Backing a person with no experience is just disrespectful to me, my staff, the judicial system, and the whole court system.”