Governor Appoints New Lewis County Clerk Following Resignation of Current County Clerk and Deputy County Clerk

Update: According to former Lewis County Clerk Regina Dredge, she made the decision to accept another position outside of Lewis County near the end of November.

“It was a very hard decision to make. It took seven or eight weeks to make up my mind,” said Dredge. “I want to thank everyone for their support. I really appreciate it.”

Posted: Friday, December 30, 2016 at 4:00 p.m.

Original story below:

Chris L. Flanagan, of Canton, has been appointed as the new Lewis County Clerk, according to information released by Governor Jay Nixon’s Office.

The County Clerk position became vacant on December 4, 2016, following the resignation of former Lewis County Clerk Regina Dredge and her Deputy Clerk. The reason for Dredge’s resignation has not been released to the public, according to a representative of the office.

Since Dredge’s resignation, former Lewis County Clerk Sharon Schlager has been appointed to the position by the Lewis County Commission to perform the functions of the office. Schlager served prior to Dredge.

“I’m the retired County Clerk. I’ve been filling in until the appointment is made. I’m ready to go back to my retirement and let the new person take over,” said Schlager. “I will stay and help train the new people, if they need me to.”

It is unknown when Flanagan will take over the office of the County Clerk.

Flanagan, a Democrat, works for Crop Production Services in Palmyra as a custom pesticide applicator. He previously worked in various aspects of residential and business construction for two Canton construction companies. Flanagan is a graduate of Canton High School and attended Culver-Stockton College, according to Gov. Nixon’s office.

“I am pleased to appoint Chris Flanagan as the new Clerk for Lewis County, and I am confident he will ably serve the people of the county in this position,” Gov. Nixon said in a statement.

Posted Thursday, December 29, 2016 @ 1:45 p.m.