New Hamilton County Clerk of Courts shaking things up in his first 100 days

CINCINNATI (WKRC) – It’s time to review the first 100 days in office for a politician who overcame the odds and defied expectations to win his office, and no, this story isn’t about President Donald Trump.

This man is a local winner and so far he's making big changes.

The Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Office, with its thousands and thousands of court records, may not look any different than it did last year, but different it is. Very different.

Propelled by a catchy television ad similar to the famous “Aflac duck” insurance commercial and by Hamilton County's ongoing shift to becoming reliably “blue,” Aftab Pureval became the county's first Democratic Clerk of Courts in more than 100 years, defeating incumbent Republican Tracy Winkler, of the Winkler political dynasty.

Now after 100 days in office, Pureval is shaking things up.

Among the changes, all records requests will be free up to 100 pages, instead of $0.10 a page.

The auto title office in Forest Park will soon open on Saturdays, adding convenience for motorists and revenue for the county.

A self-help legal clinic is in the works for citizens, along with a more user-friendly web site.

Pureval has also let go a lot of Tracy Winkler holdovers. 23 people either fired or leaving on their own, saving the county, Pureval says, more than $400,000 dollars a year.

“I was charged with ending the culture of nepotism and political patronage here, and we've been committed to doing that and I believe we've achieved that,” said Pureval.

The sign says it is the policy of the Clerk of Courts not to make change. Of course they're talking about change of a dollar. But perhaps for the last century, you could say it was the policy of the Clerk of Courts not to make change politically either. Now, there’s a new sheriff, or a new clerk in town. Changes have already happened, and more changes are likely to happen.

And while it's only been 100 days, political insiders are already predicting big things for this rising political star.

Running for higher office someday. If that's the case, whomever Aftab Pureval runs against had better duck.

The clerk caught a bit of political heat for hiring the son-in-law of Hamilton County Democratic Chair Tim Burke, but Pureval says that person was the most qualified applicant for the job and previously served as the top assistant in Cincinnati to Republican Attorney General Mike DeWine.