Mayor’s court clerks from around Ohio will receive professional certification through a three-day training program hosted by Kent State’s Center for Public Administration and Public Policy this week.

Melinda Holmes, interim director for the center, said the center was contacted by representatives of The Association of Mayor’s Court Clerks of Ohio in 1997 and asked to develop the program. The first program was held in the spring of 1998 and is conducted every other year. Ohio and Louisiana are the only states that still have mayor’s court clerks, and the center’s program is designed to specifically meet those needs.

This year’s program will be held today, tomorrow and Friday and will host 109 participants from communities all over Ohio.

The training includes 18 hours of educational sessions conducted by Kent State staff and faculty, private consultants, public officials from state and local agencies and a panel of the clerks themselves.

Holmes said this program plays an important part in the center’s outreach to improve the capacity of local government and nonprofit organizations.

“A program such as this is also a way of carrying out Kent State’s Strategic Principle No. 3, which is entitled, ‘Engage with the world beyond our campuses,'” Holmes said. “The sessions cover the general areas of technology, personal communication and leadership, financial management and relationships with agencies with which they must coordinate.”

The event will include an awards banquet tomorrow night with featured speaker Judge Spanagel of Parma.

Contact College of Arts and Sciences reporter Heather Bing at [email protected].