Published: October 11, 2008 09:41 pm         

Clark County Circuit Clerk Election Preview

Clark County, Ill. — A political veteran seeking re-election as the circuit clerk in Clark County, Ill., is facing a challenger who, while he has never held public office, is a familiar name in the Democratic Party.

Republican Terri Davison Reynolds, 51, has served as circuit clerk for the past 20 years and spent more than 10 years working in the office before elected.

“I feel comfortable in my job and I enjoy it,” she said. “Things are always changing with the new laws and it keeps you learning.”

Reynolds’ Democratic challenger, Tim Bloodworth, 49, doesn’t deny that Reynolds has experience on her side, but feels there are some shortcomings in the office he could fix, if elected, he said.

“I would like to see the staff better cross-trained,” Bloodworth said, because people complained that the person needed is out of the office when they take time from work to go to the office. If more people were cross-trained, Bloodworth said that would be less of a problem.

Another solution he offered was extending office hours.

“If we need to be open an hour later one night a week to accommodate people, it could be managed,” he said. “The office could be managed a lot better … the leadership could be stronger and needs to be stronger.”

Because the office is small, Reynolds said to switch people from job to job could make room for mistakes, and the office budget doesn’t allow for hiring more people.

“… The laws are always changing, and so we have one person that tries to stay up with the laws in the area of the office that they’re working in,” she said. “… We just don’t have the time and we don’t have the staff.”

As far as customer service criticism, Reynolds said many people go to the clerk’s office asking for legal advice and “we’re not attorneys … and we can’t give them that legal advice, and they get upset thinking that we’re being rude.”

With the circuit clerk’s office responsible for many “not pleasant things” such as paying traffic fees and child support, Reynolds said, it can sometimes not be a cheerful place for people because they’re “usually handing money over.”

Having owned his own business for more than 20 years, Bloodworth said he’s worked with “every kind of customer you can imagine.”

Other plans Bloodworth has for the office, if elected, include updating technology to allow people to pay their bills online or allowing lawyers to obtain files via e-mail, he said.

“It may cost something up front, but could save money,” he said.

Since taking office, Reynolds has had a new electronic filing system installed and recently got all court records online by using Judici, she said. She said she tries to add one new thing to the system every year.

“Everything is always changing,” she said about why she likes her job. “No two days ever seem to be the same; you always have different situations.”

Though this would be a major career change for Bloodworth, if elected, he said he welcomes it and is ready.

“I know if elected, the transition will be an eye-opener and a huge learning experience,” he said, “but I have the ability to learn quick and grasp things.”

Crystal Garcia can be reached at (812) 231-4271 or crystal.garcia@tribstar.com.