9/4/2008 - West Side Leader
     

Daniel Horrigan (D-incumbent) vs. Mary Stormer (R)

Voters will vote for one candidate for Summit County clerk of courts on the Nov. 4 General Election ballot.

Editor’s note: The answers to the following questions are provided as submitted.

Describe the duties and responsibilities of the clerk of courts and why you are the most viable candidate for the position.

Horrigan: The Clerk of Courts serves as the official record keeper for the Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Court and the Court of Appeals, processing over 30,000 new cases every year. The other primary function of the Clerk’s office is the issuing of over 280,000 motor vehicle and watercraft titles annually. In these roles, the Clerk of Courts office collects over $80 million in taxes, court costs, fees and fines for the State of Ohio and Summit County each year. The maintenance of accurate records and the ability to provide services to the public in a timely manner are critical to the successful operation of the office.

As the hub of the Summit County justice system, we have extensive interaction with 15 judges, 11 magistrates, all of the countywide offices and all of the law enforcement jurisdictions in Summit County. We are also required to provide information to several state and federal agencies such as the BMV, Department of Taxation, Supreme Court of Ohio and the U.S. Marshall Service.

I believe myself to be the most viable candidate because of my proven ability to lead the Clerk’s office and our success in improving the operations of the office. As long as I hold the office, our staff will be dedicated to improving the services we provide to our wide variety of customers and to using taxpayer dollars as efficiently and as effectively as possible.

Stormer: The clerk manages the filings for Summit County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations and the 9th District Court of Appeals. Securing felony evidence, accounting for millions of dollars in collections, registering motor and watercraft titles, providing the public access to information and passport applications are all responsibilities of the Summit County Clerk of Courts.

I know what we need to improve the courts and offices managed by the Summit County Clerk of Courts. My experience as a deputy clerk and supervisor in Summit County’s business court makes me the only qualified candidate in this race. From my eight years on the Akron School Board I have a reputation for being a vigilant protector of the taxpayer’s treasury. My compassion, hard work and a true sense of the common good are the foundation from which I will stand up for the people of Summit County. Large budgets and governmental bureaucracy never cloud my vision for the service I believe our institutions should provide. Whether sifting through a $240 million budget for the Akron Schools or finding efficiencies in the processing of over 15,000 civil case files at the Akron Municipal Court, I never lose sight of our government’s purpose — helping people and protecting or institutions.

How would you propose to improve the functions of the Clerk of Courts Office? Please be specific.

Horrigan: I have already implemented several changes that have improved the functions of the office. Our office is the only countywide office that accepts credit/debit cards for payment of fees in all of our locations. We have also improved customer service by locating passport offices in the three title branch locations in Summit County. These changes have led not only to an increase in county revenue, but also to increased availability of the services provided by the Clerk’s office. Most importantly, we achieved these improvements with no increase in costs.

My service as Clerk of Courts has given me several ideas for improvements to the services provided by the office. I am currently project leader for the reengineering of the countywide case management system for the Summit County justice system. The technology upgrades we have planned will streamline the case flow in ways that will allow county government to achieve cost efficiencies that will, over time, more than pay for the cost of the improvements. We will also be instituting on-line payment options for people to make payments they may need to make to the court system. These programs have moved us towards our goal to continue to make the Clerk’s office more accessible without adding burdensome personnel costs. We are continuously looking for ways to work smarter, not necessarily harder, because we believe that Summit County taxpayers rightfully insist on a Clerk of Courts office that is both customer service-oriented and cost effective.

Stormer:

1. Often when criminal defendants arrive in court, judges and prosecutors do not have a concise, accurate or timely arrest record for the defendant. I propose the clerk’s office access the existing Summit County Criminal Information System to prepare a real time “rap sheet” for each defendant. A criminal defendant’s previous multiple arrest records should be accurately reported in real time to judges and prosecutors before they arrive in court.
2. I would expand the hours of our title bureaus. I have been pushing this issue for over a year. No one should have to take time off work to transfer a car title. I propose not only opening for a few hours on Saturday but evening hours. The citizens of Summit County are not getting the services they deserve or pay for now.
3. I was a Realtor for 20 years and understand the mortgage and foreclosure process. I have greater understanding and empathy for the many families in Summit County struggling through the dark times of mortgage foreclosure. I want the clerk’s office to be a beacon of light providing informational support and guidance to those trying to navigate this complicated bureaucracy.
4. I will review all satellite office locations to insure that our services are being offered at the most user friendly locations.
5. I will insure that every employee of the clerk’s office has the tools and resources they need to make customer service a priority. I will analyze customer use data and determine peak use times for all our offices.