Voters to choose Dan Gillespie or Joan White for county Clerk
By Sharon Kivisto
posted 10/19/2006
Voters who have filed for a divorce, been involved in a felony trial or applied for a passport are familiar with the San Juan County Clerk office. The county Clerk keeps the records of the Superior Court and performs other duties imposed by state statute. Voters will decide between Dan Gillespie or Joan White for county Clerk.
Both candidates are currently county employees. Gillespie has worked in the auditor's department for the past ten years. For the past three years as the Elections Supervisor.
White has worked in the county Clerk's office for 12 years as a Deputy County Clerk, for the last four years as Chief Courtroom Clerk.
The office has three full-time and two part-time staff. The county Clerk is often seen at the counter working with the public or attorneys, or in the courtroom working as the courtroom Clerk. Asked about staffing levels neither candidate sees a need for an increase.
White says the transition will be smooth if she is elected since she knows the job. She will be able to do what needs to be done. "The boss has to step up and go to court. I'm not afraid of hard work," she said. "There is plenty of time at night to catch up with paperwork."
Asked how his background prepares him for the county Clerk's position, Gillespie said, "At a certain level, management is management. A
manager's job is to get employees what they need to do their job. Each person has their own motivation. The manager needs to discover that motivation." Asked if he will work in the courtroom if needed, Gillespie said, "Yes, I'll have to learn what to do."
Both candidates have management experience from work they did before they moved to the county.
Gillespie worked in the printing industry. He managed a department of 30 people in Omaha, Nebraska and ran a second and third shift. He served as production manager for a whole plant and received management training. He has lived in the county for 15 years.
White owned and operated a refrigerated truck business in California before moving to San Juan Island 17 years ago. The business had more than 20 employees. When managing the clerk's staff she would institute weekly meetings to keep them advised of changes in procedures. "Everyone in the office really knows their jobs well," she said.
Both candidates would like to see improvements in the document scanning system. One of the part-time employees scans 500 pages each day. The office keeps five-year's worth of paper records in the office, another five-year's in the basement. Other records are in storage elsewhere on the island. And the bulk of the last 100 years of documents are stored in Bellingham. The county is legally required to keep the original documents.
Gillespie said he would like to see a system where the judges could log in and see the documents more easily, so the clerk's staff did not have to fax the documents to the judges. He has administered the imaging system used in the clerk's office. In the Elections Office he used federal grants to "change just about everything." "Some of the changes were forced on us or money was available through the Help America Vote Act," he said.
Asked if they would continue to provide passport service, White said "definitely.". Gillespie said he "wasn't opposed."
At the end of the interviews, the candidates were asked if there was anything they would like to add. White mentioned the help available for the public and courtroom security.
Court facilitator Kathy Hagen assists people with forms and preapproves support orders. There is Family Law night on the first Tuesday of each month. She praised Carolyn deRoos on San Juan Island and Gene Knapp on Orcas Island who provide free legal advice for people who cannot afford a lawyer.
The sheriff's office has recently provided an armed bailiff during courtroom hearings and trials. "There are emotional situations, volatile situations, I'm glad we have someone in there," she said.
White is married to Phil White who works at the Port of Friday Harbor Airport. She has three step-children.
Gillespie is married to Erin Braybrook who works at Serendipity Bookstore. He has a daughter Quinn and a step-daughter Rowan.
The November 7, 2006 election is vote by mail. Ballots must be returned to the Elections Office by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Novemeber 7. More information including voter pamphlet available on
ELECTIONS WEB SITE
RCW 2.32.050
Powers and duties of court clerks.
The clerk of the supreme court, each clerk of the court of appeals, and each clerk of a superior court, has power to take and certify the proof and acknowledgment of a conveyance of real property, or any other written instrument authorized or required to be proved or acknowledged, and to administer oaths in every case when authorized by law; and it is the duty of the clerk of the supreme court, each clerk of the court of appeals, and of each county clerk for each of the courts for which he is clerk --
- To keep the seal of the court and affix it in all cases where he is required by law.
- To record the proceedings of the court.
- To keep the records, files and other books and papers appertaining to the court.
- To file all papers delivered to him for that purpose in any action or proceeding in the court as directed by court rule or statute.
- To attend the court of which he is clerk, to administer oaths, and receive the verdict of a jury in any action or proceeding therein, in the presence and under the direction of the court.
- To keep the journal of the proceedings of the court, and, under the direction of the court, to enter its orders, judgments and decrees.
- To authenticate by certificate or transcript, as may be required, the records, files or proceedings of the court, or any other paper appertaining thereto and filed with him.
- To exercise the powers and perform the duties conferred and imposed upon him elsewhere by statute.
- In the performance of his duties to conform to the direction of the court.
- To publish notice of the procedures for inspection of the public records of the court.
