WILMINGTON — Mike Daugherty will remain judge of Clinton County Municipal Court after defeating Sharon A. Kornman in Tuesday’s election, with 74 percent of the votes and 20 of 35 precincts counted. Daugherty led 4,709 votes to 1,664.

Daugherty’s full six-year term will begin in January. This past spring, he won the Republican Primary against three other candidates, and later was appointed judge by Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Municipal court is where misdemeanor criminal, traffic and small claims cases are heard.

Kornman ran as an independent.

On Tuesday evening, Daugherty said, “I am very grateful that the Lord will allow me to continue serving the people of Clinton County as their judge. I am grateful to those people for their prayers, their votes, and their support during both campaigns.”

He added, “We intend to move forward and continue providing an excellent system of justice for the people of Clinton County. May God continue to bless us all.”

Kornman, contacted when 20 of 35 precincts were counted, said she wanted to thank everyone who supported her.

For an election preview article in the News Journal, Daugherty said he is fair, compassionate, empathetic, has good sense and works for the people.

“I hold them to a fair standard of conduct, but I realize that I am the neighbor of every person in my court,” he wrote. “I am not better than them. My job is to make sure that their cases are decided correctly, quickly and that they do not linger on forever.”

In that same mid-October article, he stated, “My decisions are guided by those values common to the people here — faith, family and fairness,” he wrote. “Every day I pray for the wisdom to make the kinds of decisions which will benefit our community as a whole.”

At an Oct. 20 candidates’ night hosted by the Clinton County Republican and Democratic parties and the News Journal, Kornman said she considered herself the best candidate for judge with more than 20 years’ practicing law and 10 years’ practice in the business field.

Reach Gary Huffenberger at 937-556-5768 or on Twitter @GHuffenberger.