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In a short and somber special-called emergency meeting, the Clark County Fiscal Court voted to appoint Daniel Konstantopoulos as the temporary Clark County Judge-Executive.

Konstantopoulos replaces Judge Chris Pace who passed away due to complications associated with COIVD-19 Thursday night.

“It’s a tough time for Clark County,” said Konstantopoulos after the meeting. “We lost not only a dear friend but our judge-executive.”

Konstantopoulos has served on the fiscal court since 2014 representing District 1.

“In the meantime we are just going to keep the county government moving as it has, how Judge Pace operated it, and keep moving until the new judge is appointed,” Konstantopoulos said about how he views his time in the office.

The court voted to adopt a letter to formally notify Gov. Andy Beshear of the vacancy as required by KRS 67.710. By law, the governor has 30 days to appoint a permanent replacement for Pace, who’s term was set to expire the first Monday in January 2023.

The letter calls Judge Pace “a man of faith, a faithful servant to his community, and a loving and proud husband and father to his wife and children” and that those who knew him “will be forever changed by this indescribable human and institutional loss.”

The court also adopted a resolution that acknowledged the departed judge’s service and formally offered its condolences to his family.