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Highlands Today

Germaine's Experience Shines Through For Clerk Of Courts

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 8, 2008

Editor's note: This is the first of Highlands Today's endorsements for the upcoming election. The Highlands Today Editorial Board interviews candidates and then each board member votes for his or her choice. The candidate with the most votes is endorsed.

With so many high-profile public offices being sought this year, and with so many hot-button issues, some of the lesser-understood elected positions get little attention. That's the case in Highlands County where Bob Germaine and Mary Wilson are running for clerk of courts.

Both Germaine, a Republican, and Wilson, a Democrat, work for the clerk's office. Both are respected in the community and good people. But when considering a variety of experience in the job, we believe Germaine is the best choice for the position.

Germaine has worked in the clerk's office for 31 years. He's held various positions and knows and understands the office and everyone working there. He serves as senior director over court services.

Saving taxpayer money and serving the public are his two main priorities. He said, if elected, he will eliminate his current position and continue with those duties, as well as being head of the entire office. He also stresses the need to cross-train employees to get the most efficiency possible out of the office's workforce.

We liked Wilson's stand on the clerk's office's need to remain independent when it comes to auditing other county offices, and Germaine said he will appoint a committee that will "take the politics" out of that part of the clerk's office. He will have an auditor, the county administrator, a county commissioner, himself and preferably a private accountant consider if certain audits are being considered. Other audits will be approved by him, as needed.

There's no doubt that Germaine knows the job inside and out. He's a well respected public employee and he believes in transparency in government. He wants easy access to public records and to have them available online. However, Germaine is leery of spending taxpayer money on expensive technology that might not serve people well. He said by holding off on buying new technology a few years ago allowed him to buy it much cheaper now at a savings of more than $300,000.

The clerk of courts is a vital office that deals with the court system, but also does much of the bookkeeping for the county and other offices. It pays the bills, invests money and handles accounts receivables for various county offices. It's a big job by any standard, and the office employs 82 people.

We respect Wilson, and believe she does a fine job for Highlands County. For this position, however, Germaine's years of top management experience, his understanding of the job and his standing in the community make him the best choice for clerk of courts.

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