Sole petition for Clark County coroner rejected
Jan. 5—The Clark County Board of Elections this week declined the lone petition for county coroner in the March 19 primary election.
Board of Elections director Jason Baker said Dr. Susan Brown turned in 51 total signatures, but only 49 were valid. He said two signatures were duplicates, and the second ones did not count.
According to the Ohio Secretary of State office, candidates for county coroner must receive 50 valid signatures in order to be certified for primary candidacy.
Coroners are required to be licensed to practice medicine in Ohio for at least two years before being elected or appointed, according to the Ohio Revised Code.
The coroner's duties are to investigate suspicious deaths, with the law requiring they investigate individuals dying from criminal violence, by accident, by suicide, suddenly, in detention, when unattended by a physician for a "reasonable" period of time or in any suspicious or unusual way, according to the Ohio State Coroner's Commission.
Brown said she is "exploring [her] options" and is currently unsure of her next steps.
"I don't want Clark County to be without a coroner," Brown said.
Brown is a Democrat who was appointed to the position in 2018 when longtime coroner Dr. Richard Marsh retired. Brown was elected into her current term in 2020. This term expires in January 2025.
She worked at the Montgomery County Coroner's Office for 11 years, specializing in forensic pathology.
Baker said he does not believe Brown can file as a write-in candidate for the primary election but may do so for the November 7 general election.
