In Our View: Challenger for Clerk

The position of Clark County clerk might not be glamorous or garner many headlines, but it can play an important role in how a county functions. Charged with maintaining court records and ensuring that such records are accessible to the public, the clerk is essential to a well-oiled judicial system.

Democratic challenger Deanna Pauli-Hammond, a 25-year resident of Clark County but a political newcomer, is the right person to steward continued improvements in the Clark County clerk’s office. The Columbian recommends a vote for Pauli-Hammond in her race against Republican incumbent Scott Weber.

As always, a recommendation is nothing more than that — a recommendation. Voters are well-equipped to study the issues and make up their own minds, but during a meeting between the candidates and The Columbian’s Editorial Board, Pauli-Hammond demonstrated the capability and desire to perform the job and perform it well. Perhaps the most obvious of those positive traits is the desire. “It’s an important part of the court system,” Pauli-Hammond said of the job, which stands in sharp contrast to the past views of her opponent.

In 2010, as a political novice, Weber ran for the office with a platform of abolishing it. For that election, he wrote in the Voters’ Pamphlet, “We need to manage our public money better. One way to do that is to eliminate elected offices that have very limited functions. … If elected I will work to eliminate the office which will save the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. While I work to phase the office out, I will do everything I can to save taxpayer money.”

Four years later, Weber is singing a different tune about the $94,000-a-year position, arguing that he meant it should not be an elected one, but “absolutely, somebody needs to be in charge of the records.” He notes that eliminating the position would require a new county charter, but says that he is opposed to the charter that is on the November ballot.

To be fair, the argument can be made that county clerk should be an unelected position, or at least a nonpartisan one — although endorsements in this race fall mostly along party lines. And, to be fair, while Weber is a reluctant politician, he has improved online access to documents and has reduced printing in his office to “paper-on-demand.” He has performed the job well and has done nothing to embarrass his office.

But Pauli-Hammond is the best person to build upon those improvements for the benefit of all residents. She has a quarter-century of experience in finance and management, and her knowledge in this area showed during the candidates’ meeting with the editorial board. While Weber was uncertain of his department’s budget, Pauli-Hammond readily noted that the clerk’s office has a budget of $6.49 million for the 2013-14 fiscal year. “The clerk is the financial officer of the Superior Court,” she said. “It’s one of the most integral parts of the Superior Court system.”

Pauli-Hammond pushes for improved customer service in the department, writing in her campaign materials, “Not one person in our community needs to go to the courthouse for any reason and walk away feeling as though they are not as important as the next person.” And she stresses a need to streamline the system for filing court documents.

In so doing, Pauli-Hammond exhibits a wonkish approach to the job that would provide attention to detail. The people of Clark County deserve that kind of methodology from their clerk.