Jodie Asel

By Matthew Schatt

Jodie C. Asel, the Division IV circuit judge within the 13th Circuit Court, is running unopposed for re-election in November.

Born on June 9, 1950, in Chaffee, Asel commuted to Cape Girardeau to attend Notre Dame Regional High School, where she graduated in 1968.

A graduate of MU, Asel received her bachelor's degree in 1972 and her law degree from the School of Law in 1975.

After graduating, Asel served as a legal educator at MU for a year, which involved giving legal advice to students. She then served as a Boone County assistant prosecuting attorney from 1976 to 1978. From 1979 to 1980, she served as an assistant public defender. She went into private practice from 1981 to 1991, where she worked mostly in criminal defense.

In 1991, Asel was appointed an associate circuit judge by former Gov. John Ashcroft. She was officially elected for the office in 1992, and was re-elected in 1994, 1998 and 2002.

Asel was elected to her current position as circuit judge in 2006. If re-elected in November, she will be serving her second term.

Adding to her career experience, Asel has served on several judicial committees. She served on the executive council of the Judicial Conference of the State of Missouri from 1994 to 2006. From 1995 to 2002 she served on the board of directors of the Missouri Association of Probate and Associate Circuit Judges and as its president from 2000 to 2001.

Asel has also served on various Missouri Supreme Court committees, including the Family Court, Case Management, Fine Collection and Legislative Steering committees. She presently serves on the Trial Judge Education Committee and the Coordinating Commission for Judicial Education.

Presiding Circuit Court Judge Gene Hamilton said that he has known Asel for about 30 years and works with her on a daily basis. "Judge Asel is an excellent judge," he said. He noted that her credentials make her well-suited for the job.

When asked what she believed her greatest accomplishment is, Asel could not narrow it down to anything specific. "I don't have any one thing that stands out," she said. "It's all been a great experience."

Outside of her law career, Asel has one accomplishment in which she takes obvious pride. "My kids," she said. "I have awesome kids."

As her second term approaches, Asel notes that her biggest concern is with an expanding caseload. "The caseload is increasing in Boone County," she said. "What I see is a lot of hard work in the future."

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What's the job: Ciruit Judge

The county assessor is an elected official responsible for developing and maintaining a current list of all taxable real and tangible personal property in Boone County and assessing the property annually. Assessed valuation provides the tax base for property taxes levied by the county and its various political subdivisions. The assessor’s office processes annual declaration forms for all tangible personal property to Boone County residents. The assessor also performs tax mapping by maintaining and updating property lines based upon warranty deeds received from the Boone County Recorder of Deeds. The assessor is paid $82,026 per year.