Hodges Beats Christenson For Court Clerk Post

Anna Hodges will be Milwaukee County’s next Clerk of Circuit Court.

The normally quiet position became hotly contested after 24-year incumbent John Barrett retired in January to spend more time with his wife who has Alzheimer’s disease.

Hodges, who was Barrett’s chief deputy since 2018, didn’t get to use an interim title to campaign for the position. Instead, that boost went to her opponent, Milwaukee County Clerk George L. Christenson. The circuit court judges elected Christenson in February as interim court clerk over Hodges, who then retired in March while campaigning for the elected position.

County voters resoundingly picked Hodges after the two candidates publicly sparred over mismanagement, improperly forwarded emails and a misplaced $504,000 check. Based on unofficial results at the time of publication, Hodges earned more than 60% of the vote.

“Tonight, we made history. We brought the people’s voice to the halls of justice. You can trust that I will not let you down: I will show up at work on January 2 ready to do what I’ve done for thirty years – make our government work for the people of Milwaukee County,” said Hodges in a statement.

Hodges will be the first woman to hold the role in Milwaukee County. She said she will be the first Afro-Latina to hold the role in Wisconsin.

Why does she have to wait so long to start? Today’s race was only a partisan primary. Christenson and Hodges both ran as Democrats, while there were no Republicans in the race. Hodges will appear as the only candidate on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.

Christenson will continue to serve as county clerk, responsible for everything from election results to marriage licenses. He’s held the role since 2016 and was re-elected to a new four-year term in 2020. The position pays $88,000 annually.

The court clerk position pays $125,000 annually. Hodges has pledged to put her approximately $50,000 per year pension on hold while serving.

Hodges will now be responsible for court records, the jury system and other court processes, which have been under great strain since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. With an approximately $42 million budget and 300 employees, according to its website, the department is responsible for all court records and processing more than 150,000 cases per year.