Top Priorities
My priority is to build public trust through the securing of our elections, transparency in all aspects of our operation and in providing exceptional customer service to all residents of Ottawa County.
All of our operational goals align with this mission.
Expand the use of kiosks for greater customer convenience and access to services
Implement a new case management system for the Circuit Court for standardization of records within the Michigan courts and better online searchability for customers
Continue the successful rollout of Ottawa County’s Early Voting collaboration with our 23 City and Township Clerks, offering a more uniform and convenient experience for voters and saving Ottawa County taxpayers $1 million in 2024
Expand functionality of the online campaign finance platform
Implementation of robust elections inventory management system for more efficient and secure tracking of all elections-related material resources
Continue development of our team through training, accountability and expanding opportunities for community service
Initiate countywide mailing to voters to communicate changes in absentee ballot procedures, ensuring an accurate mailing list for voter rolls and better customer experience.
Moving Clerk’s Office team members into the newly built Family Justice Center, and merging the Family and Domestic divisions of the Circuit Court Records staff in order to provide expanded services to families utilizing the Court.
Implementation of an updated and integrated roll call and meeting management platform for the Board of County Commissioners, to create a transparent and searchable database of Board votes and actions
Accomplishments
Election Integrity
Strengthened election worker training to include more hands-on experiences, online options, and additional topics for nearly 1,000 workers countywide
Implemented a state of the art and more secure voting system countywide.
Eliminated electronic transmission of election results, further securing election equipment from risk of internet connectivity
Launched a “.gov” domain for election results, ensuring an easy way for the public to identify election results as authentic and coming from an official source
Actively supported legislative change allowing County Clerks to initiate removal of deceased voters based on death record information, allowing for more immediate accuracy of voter rolls
Customer Service
Enhanced online services to give customers more options from home and less time in line
Combined the Vital Records and Register of Deeds divisions and cross trained employees to better serve customer needs
Expanded customer service hours for satellite office locations without increasing costs
Increased electronic recording of property records to more than 70% for better security, efficiency and accuracy
Introduced a Property Fraud Alert service free of charge to county residents, that notifies of any suspicious or potentially fraudulent activity involving their real property
Transparency
One of the first Counties in Michigan to make post-election audits open to the public to provide greater visibility and accountability in the process
Led Michigan as a pilot court for electronic filing of circuit court records
Ongoing digitization of court, elections, property and vital record documents to ensure better public access, less storage cost and more secure backup
Implemented an online campaign finance reporting tool to ensure visibility of candidate financial records
Consistent and open communication through public events, use of the web and social media in delivering accurate information to county residents.