Clerk and recorder candidates tout experience

There’s no shortage of experience in this year’s Flathead County clerk and recorder race.

Incumbent Clerk and Recorder Paula Robinson, a Republican seeking her third term, has worked for 19 years in the Clerk and Recorder Office.

Robinson’s challenger, Republican Becky Eslick Savelle, worked for 25 years in the Clerk and Recorder Office before retiring in 2006. She served as chief deputy clerk and recorder for six of those 25 years and worked in the plat room for two years.

The winner of the June 8 primary contest between Eslick Savelle and Robinson will be unopposed in the November general election. Early voting for the primary begins May 10.

Robinson said her campaign slogan is the same as it was eight years ago when she first ran for clerk and recorder: Putting the taxpayers first.

“I love my job and enjoy working with taxpayers, and I’m a problem-solver,” Robinson said. “I take great joy in knowing people feel like someone has listened to them and helped them. I guess I’m a true public servant.”

Upgrades in the election process are among Robinson’s biggest accomplishments. Through intensive training, she guided the transition of the election process from punch-card ballots to the current central count/optical-scan paper ballot system that she says is accurate and effective.

Flathead County has received and used more federal polling-place handicapped-accessible grants than any other Montana county, she said. Robinson applied for and received 25 grants totaling $115,000 for improvements in polling-place access.

Overseeing elections is one of the favorite parts of her job, she said.

Clerk and recorder duties are wide-ranging.

In addition to recording documents, the clerk and recorder has oversight over the Geographical Information System Department, elections and the plat room where land transactions are recorded. The clerk and recorder also serves as the county auditor.

Robinson recently proposed a restructuring of the Finance Department that was approved by the commissioners. The revamp will improve the separation of duties, resulting in greater transparency for taxpayers, she said.

When the audit department was consolidated with the Clerk and Recorder Office in 2003, it saved money but created difficulties, Robinson said, because she assumed the auditor duties but also had oversight over the financial comptroller.

The county then contracted with an external auditor, but maintaining a check-and-balance system still was difficult, she said.

The restructuring creates a separate Finance Department but will keep the audit responsibility with the Clerk and Recorder Office. The potential savings is about $30,000 a year, she added.

Among Robinson’s other accomplishments are the digitization of more than 800,000 documents now available online for subscribers and the creation of a nonpartisan Flathead County Resolution Board to rule on improperly marked ballots.

Robinson also has established a records-management program that helps 29 county offices streamline daily operations.

A tight county budget continues to be a challenge. The Clerk and Recorder office has reduced staff by 6.25 full-time equivalent employees over the past three years to save about $278,000 annually, Robinson said.

Eslick Savelle said her love of records was a factor in her bid to jump back into county government.

“They’ll be there for generations to come and we have some really remarkable records,” she said about the collection of documents that dates back to the late 1800s.

After retiring in 2006, she and her husband moved to South Carolina for a couple of years to care for his aging parents, then returned to the Flathead two years ago.

“I strongly believe the voters should have a choice of applicants for the position of clerk and recorder,” she said.

If elected, Eslick Savelle said she would strive to improve the efficiency of the work accomplished in the department. Communication, whether it’s with other county departments or the public, is paramount, she said.

“It’s my own policy that if I need help or need to change something I will notify them [other county departments]. I don’t want to bombshell them ... I will work toward better harmony and enhance morale at the inter-office level, which will improve the quality of work this office provides.”

Eslick Savelle said she’ll have somewhat of a learning curve after being out of the office for four years, but is confident she would quickly get up to speed.

“I’ve been out of it for awhile, but I have familiarity with the overall process,” she said. “Flathead County gave me a great education.”

 Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com