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Candidates Want Computers Upgraded: Election 2006: Ohio County Clerk

Posted on: Tuesday, 9 May 2006, 06:02 CDT

By David Blackburn, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.

May 9--Five candidates seeking the Ohio County clerk's office say retiring clerk Les Johnson runs it well.

Democrats William Larry Smith, Bess Tichenor Ralph and Marty Shephard and Republicans Paul Sandefur and Debi Clark think updated computers will help it run even better.

The candidates praised the work of Johnson, who will have been county clerk 13 years when he resigns in December.

But, Ralph said, "I'm sure there's always room for improvement for everything."

An updated computer system would get people waited on faster, she said. Ralph favors a system where customers take a number and are waited on in order.

An upgrade "will serve the people faster, get them in and out faster," Smith said.

Shephard said replacing the outdated system will improve an already efficient office, which he said he strives for as a businessman.

"I know what people of Ohio County want, and that's good service," Shephard said.

Like any other changes, upgrading "is going to take money. We're going to get to that as fast as we can," said Sandefur, who would pursue grants and county money.

Clark wants the office to stay "user-friendly the way it is now, but I would like to make it more computerized," she said. "It would make it easier and faster and more efficient."

Most of the candidates said their decision to run was prompted by Johnson's retirement combined with their work experience.

"I pretty much understand how that office works," Smith said, noting he has worked closely with it in his 25-plus years as a deputy with the Ohio County Sheriff's Department.

With her children grown, Ralph said, "I feel I can give my time and talents back to the county, and I believe I can make a difference."

Shephard decided four years ago to seek the office if the timing was right.

"The only office job I would want is county clerk. You're being a servant to the people of Ohio County," he said.

Clark considered a run in 2001 but decided the timing was bad.

"It's something I've always wanted to do, and I think the time just seemed right," said Clark, who has nearly completed a master's degree.

The office is responsible for all of the county records and needs to be run by someone familiar with the community, Sandefur said.

He touted his record as former Ohio County Chamber of Commerce president and District 2 magistrate on the Ohio Fiscal Court -- which gave him an up-close look at the office's operations.

"I've seen what goes on in the clerk's office and how important it is to the county," Sandefur said.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: Messenger-Inquirer

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