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<v Speaker 1>Good morning, good morning, good morning, and welcome, welcome, welcome.

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<v Speaker 1>It's time now for our community connection right here on

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<v Speaker 1>Kwanda one, you trust. We have the lovely Miss Davis

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<v Speaker 1>in here with us today, our county court clerk at

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<v Speaker 1>the Washington County How you doing this morning?

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<v Speaker 2>Doing good?

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<v Speaker 1>Are you all ready to celebrate the fourth?

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<v Speaker 2>Absolutely?

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<v Speaker 1>Even more, it's all on the fifth because you.

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<v Speaker 3>Get absolutely great.

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<v Speaker 1>Tell us a little bit about your office and what

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<v Speaker 1>you do, and then what folks can expect from the

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<v Speaker 1>services you perform.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, we provide all kinds of services. We provide our

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<v Speaker 3>marriage licenses, you can file.

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<v Speaker 1>For divorce, you can got them coming and going, got it.

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<v Speaker 2>Coming and going.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, we do deal a lot with fines and costs.

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<v Speaker 3>And right now I'm working on a project that my predecessor,

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<v Speaker 3>Jill Spitcher, was working on to restore the old archived

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<v Speaker 3>files from statehood from nineteen oh seven and forward.

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<v Speaker 1>That's a little bit of an undertaking, it is, but.

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<v Speaker 3>It's a wonderful There's so many interesting things.

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<v Speaker 1>I bet you could write a book about some of

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<v Speaker 1>the stuff you buy.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, you read it and it says like in the beginning,

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<v Speaker 3>it says in the Indian territory of such and such

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<v Speaker 3>county or such and such nation.

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<v Speaker 2>And it's really interesting.

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<v Speaker 1>Mike, goodness sakes, I just can't imagine the history there.

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<v Speaker 1>Now you're taking this from paper, how are you transferring

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<v Speaker 1>it digitally?

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, we're doing it digitally.

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<v Speaker 3>And then we're preserving some of the files with a

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<v Speaker 3>business that we use called Cofile.

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<v Speaker 2>And they are amazing.

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<v Speaker 3>They can take paper that has been damaged by tape

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<v Speaker 3>from the acid and restore it to almost new. I mean,

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<v Speaker 3>it's wonderful. The things they can do is amazing.

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<v Speaker 1>We live in such amazing times. Yes we do, right, goodness,

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<v Speaker 1>your office is so busy. They got your right as

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<v Speaker 1>you come in the door.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes they do. Why did you walk in? That's us

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<v Speaker 2>right there. And I'm a very hands on court clerk.

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<v Speaker 1>I like to be you waited on me, I remember that.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, I liked. I like the people. I like the attorneys,

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<v Speaker 3>I like the people. I like to be up there

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<v Speaker 3>at the calendar waiting on people.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, it's it's really interesting. I mean, you come

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<v Speaker 1>in there, and of course the deputies are really nice.

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<v Speaker 1>They let you know you got a plate in your

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<v Speaker 1>head and none. But anyway, they do make sure everybody's safe,

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<v Speaker 1>food coming and going and what have you. And a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of your business is pretty quick, pretty transactional and

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<v Speaker 1>right there, come in, go and you make it quick

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<v Speaker 1>and expedient. And I know it's.

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<v Speaker 2>Accurate too, Yes it is.

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<v Speaker 1>I know it's because you look through there and you

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<v Speaker 1>said you need to stamp on that.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, I do, Yes, I make sure. I don't want

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<v Speaker 3>you to have to come back. We try our best.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh, you do, great job. And you know the thing

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<v Speaker 1>is is that with a variety of different things that

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<v Speaker 1>you have to file and take in, you know you're

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<v Speaker 1>getting a variety of different personalities walking in and out

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<v Speaker 1>the door too. And the fact that they're greedy with

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<v Speaker 1>the smile, they're greeeded with professionality, Karen, concern and compassion

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<v Speaker 1>is really an a plus mark on your office.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you, Thank you.

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<v Speaker 3>We I try to strive for everybody to walk up

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<v Speaker 3>to the counter with a smile, and because however you

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<v Speaker 3>treat them, this is how you're going to get treated.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah. Indeed, but boy, it's a big office for being

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<v Speaker 1>right there in the front.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, yes it is, yes it is.

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<v Speaker 3>But we have gotten to where we've decorated it quite

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<v Speaker 3>nicely too. We have our little ducks and our legos

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<v Speaker 3>and our plants and you know.

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<v Speaker 1>But it looks it looks like you're, you know, for

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<v Speaker 1>an office. It looks, you know, you got a comfortable

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<v Speaker 1>setting so that folks don't feel like you're going into

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<v Speaker 1>the sterile you know, stern mean environment.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh no, no, we don't want that, No.

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<v Speaker 1>Not at all. Yeah, but you know it's got to

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<v Speaker 1>be great now. You took over for Jill. Yes, okay,

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<v Speaker 1>do you when's your next election time.

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<v Speaker 2>Coming up in three years?

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<v Speaker 1>So you got a little weight.

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<v Speaker 3>I've only been in I've only been in office for

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<v Speaker 3>six months, so it's all still pretty new to me. Well,

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<v Speaker 3>I bet, but I had a great teacher, I really did.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh yeah, and how long you've been with the office completely?

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<v Speaker 3>I think about thirteen years, really, I think, yeah, well

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<v Speaker 3>somewhere around and there a long time.

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<v Speaker 1>For you because you're young. But the thing is is

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<v Speaker 1>that our county government works pretty well here in Washington County.

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<v Speaker 1>We're not a huge county, but I like to think

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<v Speaker 1>that we're a quality county. Yes, and that runs from

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<v Speaker 1>the commissioners to the deputies to everybody who works the office.

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<v Speaker 1>The office heads and the office workers. How do you

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<v Speaker 1>fit so dark many people in that courthouse.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't know.

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<v Speaker 3>It's just the different aspects of the job of what

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<v Speaker 3>we do there, the different needs of all the people

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<v Speaker 3>in the county.

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<v Speaker 1>And it seems like everybody gets along. And I imagine

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<v Speaker 1>from time to time one office has to maybe ask

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<v Speaker 1>another office a question, especially if the something that's got

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<v Speaker 1>some commonalities.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, we try to keep the lines of communication open

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<v Speaker 3>well so between offices, and we have the full support

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<v Speaker 3>of the commissioners in our office also, I try.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, they're a big.

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<v Speaker 1>Part, yeah, on these three guys, but they've got a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of.

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<v Speaker 2>Weight, they do.

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<v Speaker 3>They've got a lot of weight.

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<v Speaker 1>But all the same. You know, I've been a citizen

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<v Speaker 1>of Washington County for a little over six years now,

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<v Speaker 1>and I haven't had it easier than I've had it here.

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<v Speaker 1>And I've lived in a lot of different places over

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<v Speaker 1>sixty five years. But you know, just as a citizen, hey, thanks,

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<v Speaker 1>you're welcome. I lived in big cities, and if you

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<v Speaker 1>go to the county seat sometimes it's not in the

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<v Speaker 1>big city, right, You're maybe going to there and go,

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<v Speaker 1>oh you're from there. Yeah, and you can kind of

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<v Speaker 1>get the business and right here, you know, everybody's in

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<v Speaker 1>same and it's all good. But it's really nice. So

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<v Speaker 1>on top of all of this transactional stuff, you get

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<v Speaker 1>filing and I want to get back to preserving these records.

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<v Speaker 1>That was something that got started not too long ago.

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<v Speaker 3>Right, Jill had started that and preserving our books, some

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<v Speaker 3>of our old red, humongous.

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<v Speaker 2>Books that they had to write in.

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<v Speaker 3>Oh yes, and we've got those, the ones that she's

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<v Speaker 3>already preserved.

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<v Speaker 2>We've got some of those.

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<v Speaker 3>If anybody wants to see them and see what it

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<v Speaker 3>looks like, they're more than welcome to come in and

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<v Speaker 3>ask me. And I'll pull a book out and show you.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh that easy, huh uh huh, My goodness sakes. But

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<v Speaker 1>you know it is public record, Yes it is.

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<v Speaker 2>Most of them are. Now. There are some things that

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<v Speaker 2>we can't.

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<v Speaker 1>Do that ordered I understand. But for the most.

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<v Speaker 3>Part, adoptions juveniles, they are not common sense.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, yes, she's common sense. Don't bother with the.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, the divorces, the marriage all that stuff. Yeah, you

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<v Speaker 2>can see it.

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<v Speaker 1>If people have questions about your office and your services,

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<v Speaker 1>what's the best way to find that out. I know

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<v Speaker 1>that you're on the website. Phone calls work too.

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<v Speaker 3>Phone call is perfectly fine. I'll talk to anybody. I'll

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<v Speaker 3>take the time.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah great. I want to thank you for coming in today.

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<v Speaker 1>I know you had a big, big day the other day.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, I did.

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<v Speaker 1>The end of the fiscal year, the beginning of the next.

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<v Speaker 2>End, the end of the month.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, that's not the quite new year that most people that.

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<v Speaker 1>That's not the party they like to throw.

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<v Speaker 2>No, it's not. It's not a party.

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<v Speaker 1>But you're kind of relieved to get out of Watkins.

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<v Speaker 2>I am.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, thank you very much. I really appreciate you being

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<v Speaker 1>with us here and sharing a little bit about our

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<v Speaker 1>county government right here on Community Connection. Thank you all right, folks,

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<v Speaker 1>you've been listing and watching to our community Connection