![\"\"](\"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/cover.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBy Fletcher Word
\nSojourner\u2019s Truth Editor<\/p>\n
After 18 years as Clerk of Toledo Municipal Court, Vallie Bowman English has thrown her hat in the ring for another elected position \u2013 judge of the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division. And after 18 years, Bowman English\u2019s list of accomplishments as Clerk is both extensive and impressive.<\/p>\n
In July 2003 when Bowman English was in the midst of her campaign for Toledo Clerk of Court \u2013 the first-time candidate set forth some rather clear-cut goals that she wanted to accomplish.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to bring the technology up to date,\u201d she told The Truth in a 2003 conversation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Bringing the technology up to date, she said back then, would: \u201cutilize[e] real time recording \u2026 to keep someone from being arrested for something they a have already appeared in court about; would enable \u201claw enforcement officials \u2026 keep violent offenders from getting guns; would make it \u201ceasier for motorists to pay tickets; would \u201cmake the system more user friendly for the attorneys .. so they can retrieve information for themselves; and would prevent \u201cinstances where criminals have been allowed to walk away because the records weren\u2019t right.\u201d<\/p>\n
When she assumed her current position in January 2004, Bowman English set about accomplishing those campaign goals of bringing the Clerk\u2019s Office into the 21st<\/sup> century. \u201cThe reason I ran for the Clerk\u2019s office,\u201d she says now, \u201cwas to do all those things.\u201d<\/p>\n For example, real time data entry was accomplished by ensuring a clerk would be \u201cin every criminal and traffic courtroom,\u201d she says. Entries are now made \u201cas the judge or magistrate verbalizes them, not hours or days after the fact.\u201d<\/p>\n Once in office, however, \u201cI found out there was so much more to do,\u201d she recalls. And although she had anticipated that her original laundry list should have only taken her a one six-year Clerk\u2019s term in office, she uncovered enough challenges to keep her busy for a far lengthier time.<\/p>\n These are some of the other improvements Bowman English has brought to the Clerk\u2019s office over the years:<\/p>\n After years of such accomplishments as Clerk, Bowman English now feels that it\u2019s time to move on. \u201cI see a great need in Juvenile Court for someone like me,\u201d she says. She sees a need for youthful offenders to see someone like her in a position of authority, someone who can mete out both punishment and encouragement.<\/p>\n \u201cThey need to hear someone to say, you can do it; you can do anything you can imagine,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Bowman English, like so many adults in the Toledo area who have borne witness to the rising serious crime rates, especially homicides, is especially concerned with the fact that offenders have gotten younger and younger and that those offenders are oblivious about the consequences of their actions.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was a prosecutor, kids were shocked by the consequences when they turned 18 and became adults. In Juvenile Court, we need to do what\u2019s best for these [younger] kids. We need to show them the consequences and that needs to coincide with compassion.\u201d<\/p>\n Bowman English\u2019s opponent in her race this fall is Judge Linda Knepp, who was appointed to fill the slot left empty in July 2021 by the retirement of Judge Connie Zemmelman.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a good chance based on my experience and community involvement,\u201d says Bowman English of the upcoming contest. Indeed, she is involved in numerous professional and community groups and activities: She is a member of The Links, Inc; on boards such as Area Office on Aging, Susan G. Komen; the past president of the Toledo Bar Association and newly appointed to the Ohio State Bar Association.<\/p>\n \u201cI invest myself in so many things,\u201d she explains. \u201cI\u2019m a visionary, I have great administrative skills and I am never satisfied.\u201d<\/p>\n After 18 years as Clerk of Municipal Court, 18 years of transforming and modernizing the Clerk\u2019s office, Bowman English is ready for a new challenge and, as with her current post, she will be on the bench for as long as she feels is necessary.<\/p>\n \u201cI will stay as long as I\u2019m needed \u2013 as long as I can make a difference I will stay,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Fletcher Word Sojourner\u2019s Truth Editor After 18 years as Clerk of Toledo Municipal Court, Vallie Bowman English has thrown her hat in the ring for another elected position \u2013 judge of the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division. And after 18 years, Bowman English\u2019s list of accomplishments as Clerk is both extensive […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,17],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[23],"class_list":["post-4438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cover_story","category-local"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4438"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4441,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4438\/revisions\/4441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4438"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=4438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n