1) How would you describe the duties of the office of Register of Deeds and what are your qualifications for this position?

Most of the duties of the Register of Deeds office are set by statute. “The Register of Deeds shall have custody of and safely keep and preserve all the books,…” (K.S.A. 19-1204). The office records and preserves all documents that are presented to our office on a daily basis. This includes collecting fees, indexing, scanning, microfilming and returning the documents. Over $1,000,000 each year is collected by the Register of Deeds office. The fees are set by statute and reports are required at the state level yearly to comply with the law. We also record and preserve military discharge records (DD214’s) for the area veterans and keep old school records.

I have worked in all aspects of the Register of Deeds office. When hired I began at the data entry level and have progressed through all phases of the office mentioned above. My duties as Deputy Register of Deeds also include items such as helping to prepare the budget, supervise a staff of 4 employees, make various reports to the state, work with various county and city officials, attorneys, title companies, realtors, bankers, etc. I also work with other Register of Deeds offices across the state to keep abreast of current issues involving our office. I am currently 1 of 3 certified Deputy Register of Deeds in the state of Kansas. This certification was achieved by taking 36 hours of continuing education classes over 3 years through Kansas State University and the Kansas Register of Deeds Association. This training is the same training that is required to become a Certified Kansas Register of Deeds.

2)  Why are you running for election/re-election?

I am running for election because I love my job and I feel that I am the only qualified candidate to assume this position. The people of Riley County deserve the experience and continuity that I would bring to the position. I have always taken pride in the job that I do and I have worked very hard to become a certified deputy. I do not feel that someone can assume this position and run the office effectively and according to statute without extensive training and experience. The Register of Deeds office requires “hands on” training to be able to correctly assess documents and recording requirements as set by statute. I have this experience and take pride in the fact that the Riley County Register of Deeds office is in the forefront of knowledge and technology. I would like to carry on this tradition of excellence.

3)  What improvements, if any, would you make to the current system of record management or to interactions with the public?

Due to the fact that the system of records management is, in large part, dictated by statute, the changes that I would make would be in the technology used to process the records. Right now, Riley County is a leader in technology and so any forward movement in that area would have to be as technology moves forward. I will keep abreast of the laws as they pertain to such things as e-Recording and make necessary changes as required. The Register of Deeds Office has a Business Continuity Plan in place but there is always room for improvement. As technology and services change, this plan will need to be continually updated.

As an elected official, interactions with the public are of prime importance. We must always work to improve public relations and provide services that benefit the public. I will always be looking for new and improved ways to provide services to the public. Real estate information is provided to the public by the Riley County GIS (Geographic Information System) website. I will continue to explore options to add more of the Register of Deeds information to this system. There is also an issue of space for public access computers, I will continue to address this issue as the opportunity arises. Striving for the best customer service possible will always be a primary goal for me.