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DeMott challenges Long in county clerk race
Longtime Bourbon County Clerk Joanne Long will face a challenge in next month's election. Long, who has served as county clerk for eight years, will defend her seat on Nov. 4 against local resident Jackie DeMott.
According to information on the Bourbon County Web site, www.bourboncountyks.org, the county clerk is the secretary to the Board of County Commissioners. Serving in this capacity, the clerk must attend county commission meetings; prepare and post county commission meeting agendas and record meeting minutes; maintain proceedings of Commission meetings, including all contracts and agreements entered into by the county.
The County Clerk also prepares annual budgets for most townships, fire districts, all cemeteries, watersheds and light districts in the county. In addition, she receives and composes all the budgets submitted by county entities, cities, townships, Fort Scott Community College, school districts, and all special districts. Compiling, calculating and preparation of tax levies is also among the county clerk's job duties.
Among several other job duties, the county clerk is also the county's election clerk and serves as the county's Freedom of Information Officer. In this position, she organizes all elections, maintains a voter database, accepts filings for public office and keeps financial statements of expense from the county, city and school district candidates.
Long, who was first elected county clerk in 2000 and then reelected to the office in 2004, said she is seeking another re-election because she knows how to do the job and can adjust to any change which occurs in the office.
"I feel Bourbon County needs a county clerk who knows the responsibilities and duties of the office and who can evolve with the ever-changing atmosphere of elections and the financial, clerical and administrative aspects of the office," Long said.
DeMott, who is currently employed in the customer service department at Ennis Business Forms, said she decided to run for the office of county clerk because of her qualifications for the job.
"I feel that with my experience in accounting and customer service, I can bring new ideas and a fresh point of view to some of the issues that we face here in Bourbon County," DeMott said.
Both Long and DeMott have supporters who have encouraged them in their campaigns. DeMott said she was confronted by various county residents who asked her to campaign to become the next county clerk because they thought she would do a good job. Even DeMott's former boss, Fort Scott Mayor Gary Bukowski, encouraged her to run for election, she said.
Long said she has worked in the county clerk's office since 1992, starting by running the switchboard and eventually working in every position in the office. In 1995, Long was appointed the deputy clerk, and when former county clerk Barbara Wood was ready to retire, Long said Wood encouraged her to seek the position.
When asked about specific qualifications which enable her to carry out the county clerk's duties properly, Long said 16 years of experience working in the county clerk's office will help her to continue serving county residents efficiently.
More than 20 years of experience in both accounting and customer service will help her complete the job successfully, DeMott said. In addition, DeMott has experience taking minutes for the FSCC vocational programs, which will help her in certain aspects of the county clerk's duties.
When asked what strengths they have which would help them serve the county to the best of their ability, both candidates spoke about their personal experiences.
According to DeMott, her customer service abilities, organizational skills, honesty, and dedication to the people of Bourbon County, in addition to her ability to learn new skills quickly, will adequately equip her for the job of county clerk.
Years of experience in the county clerk's office, relationships with other county departments and state and national leaders as well as the public, are among the strengths which Long said will allow her to perform the duties of county clerk efficiently. Long added she is not afraid to learn new skills which is also a trait that will help her succeed in the position.
According to Long, the county clerk's office should play an active role in helping the citizens of Bourbon County.
"I believe the County Clerk's Office can be pro-active when it comes to assisting the public," Long said. "I created and maintain the Bourbon County Web site, www.bourboncountyks.org, as a way for the public to access County officials, records and other information. The Web site continues to grow to include more online activities and interactive aspects. I piloted a program this year whereby my staff and I completed the Federal Stimulus Package for hundreds of elderly and low income Bourbon Countians who filed a Homestead or Food Sales Tax refund with my office at no charge to the taxpayer. This eliminated the need for them to make a second trip to the courthouse."
DeMott said if elected to the office of county clerk, she will be an active listener to help determine what actions need to be taken in Bourbon County.
"I would need to be involved with the commissioners to understand what the citizens of Bourbon County feel are the areas that need changes," DeMott said.
According to Long, Kansas Statues mention county clerk 649 times and county election officer 388 times, totaling 1,037 instances in Kansas law which refers to the job of the county clerk.