Clerk of Courts Maiorana to retire

Endorses deputy clerk Bearer

Lorain Clerk of Courts Lori Maiorana said she will not seek re-election, but she hopes voters will consider one of her deputy clerks to be her successor.

Jeff Bearer, of Lorain, will seek the post and Maiorana said the Marine Corps veteran has her endorsement.

“I’m going to get in here, I’m going to work,” said Bearer, of his first run for elected office.

As clerk of courts, Maiorana oversees a staff of 16 workers and a budget of almost $1 million.

Maiorana, 64, will not run again and will retire when her term ends Dec. 31, 2019.

The election process will begin next year with a primary in May and the general election in November for Lorain, Sheffield Lake and Sheffield Township residents to select the next clerk.

But Maiorana said she wants to come out early to support Bearer, who will begin his campaign with a fundraiser in October.

“The reason I’m so into Jeff winning is, he’s not the same old politicians,” she said. “He’s new, he’s fresh.”

In recent years, Maiorana has spoken publicly about the clerk of courts’ computer troubles due to problematic software supplied by a company that later went bankrupt.

The city of Lorain also has spent more than $500,000 revamping the computerized case management system for the court, she said.

The new system, called Benchmark for Pioneer, is not yet fully implemented, Maiorana said.

But Bearer’s experience will be essential in ensuring smooth operations when the new computers go live, she said.

“I would like to see somebody, not just a political figure in here, someone that

really understands computers and has that knowledge to set this up properly and see that it runs correctly,” Maiorana said.

Bearer, a Democrat, credited the work and knowledge of Maiorana and Chief Deputy Clerk Lyn Nelson to correct the computer problems in the office.

“It’s a key, pivotal moment,” he said. “To not have somebody that is familiar, doing this, would be detrimental.”

A Lorain native and alumnus of Lorain High School, Bearer, 43, began his computer training while serving in the Marines.

Upon returning to Lorain, he worked in accounts payable for a steel mill contractor, then went to work at Republic Steel.

He was among the employees laid off in the Great Recession and went back to school to study computers and networking.

Bearer worked at United States Steel and Ford Motor Co. before becoming a police dispatcher for Lorain.

While working there, he met Maiorana, who visited the department daily to collect paperwork for the clerk of courts office.

Last year, she hired him away from the Police Department to become a deputy clerk.

Bearer said his wife, Victoria Rigo Bearer, also grew up in Lorain. They have two daughters age 2½ and 1½ years old.

In the clerks office, Maiorana said Bearer already has streamlined the system for sending out certified mail, saving money.

When plaintiffs and defendants show up at court, the deputy clerks legally are not allowed to give them legal advice, so being an attorney is not necessarily a benefit to the clerk of courts, Maiorana said.

The position should not be a political one, Maiorana said, adding the clerk should be available to the public and not just a “figurehead” office holder.

Lorainites also want someone fresh and new, Maiorana said.

“They’re sick and tired of the negative people in the past,” she said. “And I think Jeff is one of those innovative young people that can move this city along and be interested in the whole thing.”

A Lorain native and alumnus of Lorain High School, Bearer, 43, began his computer training while serving in the Marines.

Bearer