Court clerk race first in 12 years

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@thecitizennews.com

For the first time since 1988, Superior Court Clerk W.A. “Bud” Ballard is facing opposition in his re-election bid.

Ballard will be on the Democratic ticket to face Republican challenger Sheila Studdard, an investigator with the Atlanta Police Department, in the General Election Nov. 7.

The clerk’s office handles the recording of all real estate transactions and maintains civil and criminal case files. The office also files paperwork to move inmates from the county jail to the state prison system once they are convicted.

Additionally, the office operates the jury selection process, which includes sending jury summons to jurors.

All the office’s duties amount to keeping track of a large amount of paperwork, Ballard said.

“It’s a matter of putting it where people can find it,” he said.
The term of office for Superior Court clerk is four years.

Ballard, who has been serving as clerk since 1969, is mainly running on his record and the experience he has gained over the years, he said. “I don’t want to brag on what we’re doing,” he said recently.

Studdard’s campaign focus is on her desire to modernize the clerk’s office with computer systems. As an investigator for the Atlanta Police Department, she said she especially sees the need to computerize court operations to assist police officers.

For example, the clerk’s office could use computers to communicate information with the Georgia Crime Information Center, a database of information that shows police if a subject has been convicted of certain crimes, she said.

Currently, the clerk’s office mails the information in to the state. Earlier this year, the Clerk of Court’s office passed its annual audit regarding its GCIC procedures.

Police depend on the GCIC information to warn them if a person could possibly be dangerous or if that person is wanted on other charges, Studdard noted.

“It [computerizing the clerk’s office] would make the criminal justice system move easier,” Studdard said.

Studdard, 35, is a robbery investigator with the APD who specializes in carjacking cases. During her nine-year tenure with the department, she helped the APD institute a computer system that linked with GCIC.

In addition to making police officers’ jobs easier and safer, Studdard claims a computer system will help the clerk’s office employees reduce their work load somewhat.

“What you want is to help them so they can do their job better,” Studdard said. “With 16 employees, their time is valuable as well. Our county has grown and is continuing to grow, so how do you make their time go further and make the office more efficient?”

The clerk’s office currently has deeds and civil cases indexed on the computer system, Ballard noted. The office also generates subpoenas, notices and the court calendar on computer as well.

Studdard also wants to make court records available over the Internet, although she realizes that some public records probably shouldn’t be put on the information superhighway because of their sensitive nature.

But those records are still public and would be available upon a trip to the office, Studdard said.

“Most of the information the office keeps is public and it should be available by the quickest means,” Studdard said. “Time is valuable.”

Ballard said one of his keys to keeping the office running smoothly is having good employees. After all, their job is to serve the public.

“Most people can turn business away, but we can’t,” Ballard said. “You have to adjust as the situation arises.”