Wednesday, November 15, 2000

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

Sheila Studdard is looking forward to becoming the next clerk of Superior Court for Fayette County.

She and incumbent Bud Ballard have already spoken about making a smooth transition at the beginning of the year, and Ballard has already offered his assistance, Studdard said.

"We all owe him a great deal of respect for all he has done," Studdard said. "I want to continue his good efforts."

Republican Studdard's 21,734 to 18,231 victory in the Nov. 7 General election is considered an upset, even though Fayette's electorate is largely Republican, because Ballard has held the office for seven terms and has been a fixture in local politics.

"She has worked hard," said Studdard's husband, David, as the couple watched election returns come in last Tuesday. "She's been out makign the phone calls and doing all the things you have to do."

Studdard, who wants to computerize the office, said she doesn't plan changes immediately. Instead, she will work to learn how the office works on a day-to-day basis.

"I want to make this as smooth as possible for everybody involved," Studdard said. "We'll do things like we're doing them right now. I don't want to shock the community or the employees. We need to get to know each other."

In other words, there will be no attempts to re-invent the wheel, she said.

"The more continuity we can have in this transition, the better off we'll be," Studdard said. "I'm very excited and everyone has been very pleasant to me."

Studdard said the campaign was very long, but she was glad the voters had confidence in her. She also appreciated the support of her co-workers at the Atlanta Police Department, where she is currently an investigator in the robbery division.

"My door is always open," she said. "I am very excited and I do have a love for the judicial process."

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