Franklin County Clerk of Common Pleas Court Maryellen O'Shaughnessy

Franklin County Clerk of Common Pleas Court

Maryellen O'Shaughnessy was elected Franklin County Clerk of Common Pleas Court in November 2008, and began her term as Clerk in January 2009. Prior to that, she was elected three times to serve as a member of Columbus City Council.  In 2012, Ms. O'Shaughnessy will seek re-election and run  unopposed.   

As the elected Clerk of Courts, O’Shaughnessy is committed to providing timely, accurate and courteous service to the residents of Franklin County.  She has laid the groundwork for important advances in technology, including online access to court records and electronic filing.  Efiling was mandated by the Court of Common Pleas beginning October 2011, for new and existing Civil cases. This revolutionary process will continue in other courts per their mandates in phases during 2012 and 2013.

O'Shaughnessy worked to restore "Complete Streets" to the city's transportation grid, advocating for comprehensive sidewalk policies, safe bikeways and better public transit options. She also endeavored to create better, more sustainable growth policies, including Columbus' "21st Century Growth Strategy. 

O'Shaughnessy is a fifth-generation resident of central Ohio, and comes from a family long dedicated to public service. She is a fourth-generation funeral director and owner of O’Shaughnessy Company Funeral Directors, established in 1889. 

O’Shaughnessy is a graduate of Bishop Watterson High School, and received a B.A. in Journalism from The Ohio State University. O’Shaughnessy is active in her church and the parish community, and is a past recipient of the Diocesan Service Award.

O’Shaughnessy currently sits on the boards of:  the Columbus Historical Society; the Greenways and Water Quality working group of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission; and, Consider Biking, an organization that promotes the benefits of bicycling in Central Ohio.  She previously held a position on the Ohio Thoroughbred Race Fund Advisory Committee, an advisory body to the Ohio Racing Commission. 

O’Shaughnessy enjoys many multi-sport events and outdoor activities in her spare time.  She lives in the Victorian Village neighborhood of Columbus, where her family first planted roots upon arriving in the Central Ohio more than a century ago.