Deputy Cape County circuit clerk seeks to replace retiring boss

Patti Wibbenmeyer, longtime chief deputy to Cape Girardeau County Circuit Clerk Charles Hutson, announced Wednesday that she plans to seek her boss's job in this year's election.

Hutson, a Democrat, said last week he will not seek a 10th term. Wibbenmeyer, a Republican, said she wants to succeed Hutson to make sure the office continues to operate smoothly.

"I've been here a long time, and I just don't want it to go to someone who doesn't know how to run the office," she said.

Filing for state and county offices on the Nov. 2 ballot begins Feb. 23.

Wibbenmeyer took a job in the circuit clerk's office in 1981 after graduating from Patricia Stevens Career College in St. Louis. A native of Perryville, Mo., Wibbenmeyer became chief deputy in 1999. In each of the last three years, the 32nd Circuit that includes Cape Girardeau County has won the O'Toole Award for meeting time standards for bringing cases to completion.

Wibbenmeyer also cited her work helping implement the state's courtroom reporting system, known as CaseNet, in 2001. The circuit clerk oversees the work of 21 deputies in the Cape Girardeau and Jackson offices.

"I just can't imagine not being here," Wibbenmeyer said. "I have been here since I was 19 years old, and I feel like this is home."

rkeller@semissourian.com

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