Orange County Clerk of Court Race Draws Unusual Attention

Continuing on the current path or interjecting a set of reforms, that is the choice before Orange County voters in the typically under-the-radar race for clerk of superior court this spring.

James Stanford has served as clerk for the past 17 years and said he has not faced an election opponent during his time in office. But that changed this year when former Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt filed to challenge the incumbent.

Kleinschmidt said concerned citizens came to him asking that he run for the office.

“A group of folks who’d had some experiences that led them to have some concerns about the way the clerk’s office is operating came to me and asked me if I would consider running for the office,” Kleinschmidt said. “It took me several weeks and lots of phone calls to people whose opinions I respect to conclude that this was something that was worth doing.”

Stanford said the role as clerk goes beyond the requirements for bookkeeping and record keeper for the county court system.

“If someone is declared incompetent, then a guardian needs to be appointed; that’s also within the jurisdiction of the clerk of superior court,” Stanford said. “I do all the adoptions in Orange County.”

The office also presides over partition and probate proceedings in the case of a death.

Kleinschmidt said the representative leading these proceedings should apply a level of understanding and discretion that he does not feel is being impemented by the current administration.

“Those are times when the government tells us we have a lot of work to do, even while we are struggling with other issues in our lives,” Kleinschmidt said. “And that’s why the office needs to be led with someone who has empathy and compassion for individuals in those circumstances.”

One example of this empathy, Kleinschmidt said, was the amount of paperwork being required in adoption proceedings and how that could disproportionately impact same-sex couples.

“Our clerk adds additional layers of non-statutorily required process to adoptions, for example,” Kleinschmidt said. “And not that there aren’t some good reasons for some things to happen, but wise use of discretion is where you start.”

In a statement to IndyWeek, Stanford said the paperwork is a precaution against legal challenges.

Stanford said that it is the role of the clerk’s office to be the public face of the courthouse and that he wanted concerned residents to come to the office for direction.

“I would hope that most people that come to the courthouse, if they have that, sort of, daunting feeling, that they would come to the clerk’s office first and make an inquiry in the clerk’s office about where they need to be and what’s going to happen and what they might expect the outcome to be,” Stanford said.

Stanford said that his experience in the role is key to continuing an effective clerk’s office.

“I think it’s important for [voters] to understand how important this office is and that it’s run effectively,” Stanford said. “And I think I have the ability to do that because I have been doing it for so long and learned it.”

The technology being used in the office to interface with the public is also an area where Kleinschmidt said the office could be doing more to provide a better experience for the public. Stanford said that there are some limits in place from the state on what the clerk’s office can do on certain platforms.

Early voting is underway for this year’s primary – where this race will be decided. Election Day is May 8.

Orange County Clerk of Court Race Draws Unusual Attention

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