ERIE — The Neosho County Republican Central Committee will meet on Thursday, Jan. 30, to nominate a new candidate for county clerk.
The meeting starts in the basement meeting room of the courthouse in Erie with a credentialing session at 6:30 p.m. followed by the regular meeting at 7.
Dey-Leigh Umbarger was elected in August 2024 as county clerk, defeating incumbent Heather Elsworth. However, the week before Umbarger was to take office she notified the clerk’s office that she decided against taking the office for personal reasons.
Former Deputy Clerk Cat Diel is now interim county clerk and Chasity Foreaker is deputy clerk.
GOP chairperson Doug Klaassen said in the meeting notice that candidates for the clerk’s office must be present at the Jan. 30 meeting. They also must be Neosho County residents, registered Republicans and receive a nomination from a central committee member.
A question and answer session is planned for those nominated. The committee could choose to hold any part of the meeting in closed session, as the committee did when choosing a new county treasurer.
The meeting is open to the public, however.
