Lewis County Clerk
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(This
is from the electronic version of Demogram, which is published by the
Lewis County Democratic Central Committee.
Lewis H. Zieske, Jr., Editor.)
It
has been a fast and very busy four years since I last asked for your votes
to make me your Lewis County Clerk. Now I am asking for you to Re-Elect
me for a second term.
Since taking office in 1999 there have been many changes in the Clerk’s Office that have enhanced our productivity and employee morale while reducing the size of our staff due to budget cuts. With 25 years of service in County government, I have worked in Lewis Country Superior court for 22 years. I can truly say these last four years have been challenging and very rewarding.
In 1999 we started imaging every legal document that is processed by our office on a daily basis—averaging 400,000 pages per year. The Clerk is responsible for case management and safe keeping of all files that are received for the Superior Court. This includes creating indexes for all felony criminal cases, civil, domestic/family court, probate, adoption, guardianship, mental health, child dependency and juvenile cases.
We process all judgments that result from these mentioned case types, as well as warrants, prison commitment papers, garnishments, subpoenas, letters and certifications, and provide courtroom clerks for all four departments of Superior Court. We issue 700 jury summons for District and Superior Court that are processed and mailed from our office each month. It this isn’t enough we also assist with approximately 1000 passport applications each year. This past year we assisted clients with more than 700 new domestic violence petitions.
As Clerk I upgraded the office with computers for all staff and courtroom clerks. I convinced the County Commissioners to let me use budget savings from staff vacancies during 1999 for work stations to bring our office into compliance with fire and L&I codes and to give staff a better working environment. We lived through 1-1/2 years of demolition and construction in the old courthouse before moving to our new office last November. This was the first move for the Clerk’s Office since 1927.
Despite having a smaller staff we have increased revenue collections for restitution, criminal and juvenile legal financial obligations, and billings for mandated services, by 33% since 1998. The number of new case filings and related workload has increased approximately 20% in the last four years, but the teamwork my staff has shown during this time to resolve problems, present new ideas, and provide better customer service has helped this office to serve the public in the best possible way while staying within our allotted budget each year.
This attitude of teamwork has allowed me to train and keep the same staff, with no turnovers for more than three years. I want my staff to be happy to come to work, and to work hard and well while here.
I have been very involved and committed to the Lewis County Leadership Team of elected officials and directors this past two years which has resulted in the new Strategic Plan for Lewis County. At the same time I am committed to many community activities, educational committees, and fund raisers for nonprofit groups. These include: Centralia College Business Advisory Committee; Lewis County Chapter of American Red Cross; Lewis County Bar Legal Aid; Lewis County Law & Justice Council; Lewis County Democrats—PCO since 1996; High Noon Sertoma Club; Centralia Chehalis Chamber of Commerce: South Lewis County Chamber of Commerce; Shannon Lewis Heart Fund; Winlock Lioness Club; Lewis County United Way; and Lewis County Economic Development Council.
It has been a very busy four years, but there is still much to do. I urge you to help me continue to serve you with the experience, enthusiasm, and energy I have gained as your Lewis County Clerk this term.
