Gov. Tom Corbett Friday nominated the widow of Schuylkill County's late Recorder of Deeds to take his place, and nominated a Pottsville lawyer to replace the former Clerk of Courts, who left office in April under a cloud of suspicion of financial misdeeds.

The full Senate must approve the nominees before they can take office.Recorder of Deeds nominee Ann Dudish has held a variety of financial controller positions over the past 30 years and most recently served as controller for the Anthracite Abstract Company and Murphy Jewelers.She is the widow of A. Matthew Dudish, a Republican who held the recorder's office from 1999 until he died on June 26 after a months-long battle with pulmonary fibrosis."I do feel very honored to be considered by Gov. Corbett, and I do intend to serve the people of Schuylkill County with the same dedication, professionalism and integrity that my husband has shown for the past 14 years," she said.Clerk nominee Thomas Campion is a lawyer at Lipkin, Marshall, Bohorad & Thornburg. Campion served as a Schuylkill County assistant district attorney and is a certified public accountant.He would replace longtime Clerk Stephen Lukach, a Democrat who retired April 22 in the midst of an investigation into fiscal wrongdoing. Lukach's deputy, Paul Steffanic, is currently serving as acting clerk."I'm looking forward to getting in there and helping to get the office straightened out. Paul Steffanic has done a great job in a difficult situation. He and the women in the office have all done a great job," Campion said.Corbett has confidence both nominees will be successful."Both Ann and Tom have demonstrated a commitment to professional excellence and a dedication to community service," Corbett said. "I am confident that they will both serve the public with distinction."County commissioners' chairman Frank J. Staudenmeier was unavailable late Friday."We are happy the governor is taking action to fill these positions. However, we've been very fortunate to have the first deputies of both offices, Marcie Schultz of the Recorder of Deeds office and Paul Steffanic of the Clerk of Courts office, fill the positions," Commissioner George Halcovage said."Under their direction, the offices have been run professionally, and the staff of both offices have done an excellent job of serving the people of Schuylkill County.""After a large number of informal discussions across the county with local residents, as well as meetings with the elected officials of the local Republican and Democratic Parties, one thing is clear: Ann Dudish and Tom Campion will serve us all very well in filling these vacant offices at the Schuylkill County Courthouse," state Sen. David G. Argall (R-29) said."I'd like to thank the governor for making these nominations and I have indicated to him that I will work to gain bipartisan Senate confirmation for both Ann and Tom as quickly as possible."The Recorder of Deeds is the county official responsible for the public repository of real estate records, official commissions and other documents.The Clerk of Courts serves as the county's chief clerk and record keeper for the criminal division of the Court of Common Pleas.Both positions require confirmation by a majority vote of the state Senate.