League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area Education Fund
	Hamilton County, OH November 4, 2008 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Clerk of Courts; County of Hamilton

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Pressing Issues, Implementation Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. What are the two most pressing issues you will face if you are elected? (50 word limit) Answer from Martha Good: (1) Outdated 19th-century bureaucracy and partisan hiring practices in the Clerk's office prevent implementation of streamlined procedures appropriate for the 21st-century which could save tax dollars and produce more efficient, effective customer service. (2) Restoration of public access to Internet court records (blocked since 2006) while effectively protecting private information. Answer from Patricia M. "Patti" Clancy: It will be my immediate and continuing duty to protect the identity of the citizens of Hamilton County. By ensuring that important court documents are protected I will in turn protect our citizens. Additionally, I must continue the work of the current Clerk and run a fiscally responsible office. 2. How will you address each of those issues? (100 word limit) Answer from Patricia M. "Patti" Clancy: By limiting access to court documents that contain sensitive and private information about our citizens, I will eliminate the opportunity to steal identities and engage in fraudulent activities. I will oversee a system that accomplishes this level of protection. I feel that all office holders have an ongoing duty to examine the infrastructure of their respective office and eliminate waste where possible. I plan to do just that. Answer from Martha Good: (1) Thorough review of procedures and line-by-line analysis of the budget will reveal opportunities for cost-savings by eliminating over-staffing and redundant procedures. (2) Public access to Internet court records will be restored as soon as safeguards protecting private information are implemented. Following consultation with other Clerks' offices, policies will be adopted to ensure all documents posted prospectively will be redacted to protect private information while allowing public access through a registration process. Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. The answer must not exceed 100 words. Direct references to opponents are not permitted. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.