Although she has never run for an elected office before, Donna Vance wanted to begin her campaign for Circuit Clerk well before Election Day 2022 because she hopes to speak with as many Ohio County voters as possible between now and then.
Vance is a Republican who was graduated from Wheeling Park High School in 1985 and from West Virginia Northern Community College in with 2002. She and her husband, Cary, have been married for 31 years, and they own Vance Printing along National Road in Elm Grove. She currently is employed by the Ohio County Prosecutor’s Office in downtown Wheeling.
“I really didn’t consider that I launched the campaign early. I was just excited to do it,” Vance explained. “I wanted to get my name out there because my opponent has been in the position for several years, so her name is out there already. I did have a lot of people who are supporters of mine tell me that I should get started so I’d have the opportunity to speak with as many voters in Ohio County as possible.
“I have met a lot of new people, and those folks have told me that they are happy that someone with my experience is running for the position,” she said. “When someone has been in a position for several years, there are voters who would like to see change, and that’s why so many people have told me already that they are going to support me with their vote.”
Experience Counts
Prior to accepting her position in the prosecutor’s office, Vance was a staff member of the Ohio County Circuit Clerk’s Office for nine years.
During that tenure, she handled many different tasks on a daily basis that allowed for the preservation of records as well as the procurement of jury pools.
“With my experience in the Ohio County Circuit Clerk’s Office, if I win the election I would be going into the position with a lot of knowledge as far as how the office should operate,” Vance said. “I know the system and the responsibilities of the position, and I am familiar with the new system that will be used in the near future concerning electronic filing.
“When I still worked in that office, we were supposed to start training with the electronic filing system because Ohio County was supposed to be a training site for the new system,” she said. “But that didn’t happen, and now the Ohio County Circuit Clerk’s office will be the last county in the First Judicial Circuit. I’m not sure what happened or what went wrong, but I am happy that it’s finally going to happen because it is needed in this day and age.”
Provoking Possible Change
The current Ohio County Circuit Clerk, Brenda Miller, was initially elected to the position in 1999 and is now in her fourth six-year term.
In November 2019, Miller was sued by Wheeling attorney Teresa Toriseva after Miller’s staff refused to accept a filing concerning a family member. Toriseva argued the matter was about access to the court system, but the clerk said the case was filed via fax, did not include payment for filing fees, and that the client was unnamed in the information.
Miller ultimately was ordered by Circuit Court Judge Ronald Wilson to accept the filing.
But that situation is not one of the reasons why Vance made the decision to run for the elected position.
“I believe the people who work in that office deserve someone who is fair to the employees and aren’t just looking out for themselves,” Vance said. “I would be a working clerk and not just on the important days because I would actually fill the position and work with the other people so we could have an office that runs as smoothly as possible. One of the most important duties that circuit court clerk is responsible for is acting as the keeper of the records from all of the cases that take place in Ohio County. That includes all criminal, civil, and family court records.
“Another responsibility concerns the juries that are need for the cases. Not only does that office send out the notices, but they also develop and distribute the questionnaires to the prospective jurors,” she explained. “The circuit clerk and the office play a huge role in the operation of the judicial system, and by being a working clerk who would be in the office every day, it would be beneficial to the residents of Ohio County.”
