Copyright Mechanicsburg Patriot News
A Democrat consultant and a Republican mayor of a small town will appear on ballots Tuesday to lead the formerly beleaguered Dauphin County Clerk of Courts office. Community organizer and consultant Tina Nixon will face off against Penbrook Mayor John McDonald to fill the void created by the abrupt midterm departure of Bridget Whitley’s administration following its mismanagement of the office. The Clerk of Courts is the administrator who serves as the keystone for criminal court operations. The clerk is responsible for maintaining court records and acting as a pass-through for court communications. Whitley upset Dauphin County history when she, a Democrat, won the traditionally Republican office in 2023 — defeating then-candidate McDonald 32,909 to 29,876. Earlier this year, in the May primary, McDonald secured 14,740 votes to get the Republican nomination. Nixon won the Democratic nomination with 13,796 votes, leaving votes that in the primary went to Timothy Pianka’s (6,291) ripe for the taking Tuesday. Dauphin County found out how pivotal the office is to court functions last year when Whitley took office and replaced a key employee, Patti Sites, sparking a mass departure of office veterans who had the institutional knowledge necessary to operate the office. The staffing issues led to deficiencies such as missing or late paperwork, delayed release orders resulting in incarcerated people spending more time than necessary in Dauphin County Prison, and records reflecting incorrect verdicts arising from criminal matters. Whitley resigned one business day before she was ordered to appear before President Judge Scott A. Evans for a hearing to determine if the leaders of that office could be held in contempt of court orders to eliminate backlogs and delays with their operations.
