GREENFIELD — Two political newcomers will face off in the race for Hancock County Clerk next month.
With present clerk Marcia Moore leaving the position after 2018 due to term limits, voters can choose between Republican Lisa Eberhardt Lofgreen and Democrat Kim Lozier, both first-time candidates.
The county clerk, formally called the Clerk of the Circuit Court, has various duties, such as overseeing court records and being in charge of the county’s election office. Lofgreen and Lozier have each spent the past few decades working for private businesses in jobs that have also crossed paths with the courts system.
After working for a law firm for 25 years, Lofgreen wanted to pursue the clerk’s office when she ran in the primary earlier in the year. Lofgreen beat out two Republican opponents in the wide-open race.
“I’ve wanted to do this for several years, and it just seemed the best time for me to do it,” Lofgreen said. “I look forward to the challenge of the clerk’s office; it’s a very large responsibility.”
If elected, Lofgreen said she would focus primarily on preparing for the 2020 presidential election, while also working to streamline e-filing between the clerk’s office and courts as well as purging voter rolls. As a legal assistant at Pritzke & Davis, LLP, Lofgreen said she’s already familiar with the county’s filing system.
Lozier contemplated running for county clerk after her husband, Mark Lozier, unsuccessfully ran for the position as a Republican in the primary. Lozier, the Democrat in the race, said her 39 years of experience as a claims representative for an insurance company in Indianapolis would fit well with the responsibilities of the clerk’s office.
She reviews legal papers, completes litigation files and regularly works with attorneys. Lozier also served as a treasurer at her former church and has degrees in business and accounting.
“It seems to be a good fit for me. I want to do something that’s more involved in the community,” she said.
Lozier said if elected as clerk, she would keep up on how technology can benefit the office, such as e-filing and implementing the ExpressVote machines being piloted locally during early voting. Keeping current with equipment, especially for elections, will make the office’s services faster, easier and more efficient, she said.
