BRINNON — Jefferson County Clerk Ruth Gordon announced her plans to run for a second four-year term during a Monday night county commissioners public outreach meeting at the Brinnon Community Center.
Gordon, 56, said her first goal would be to find space in the Jefferson County Courthouse to better house her office staff, which is now shoehorned into tight quarters, sharing space with Superior Court Judge Craddock Verser’s office.
Her next goal, she said, was to become more efficient and to save the county money.
“Since I’ve been here, we have had a 22 percent increase in caseload,” Gordon said, and operates with a staff of 6.54 fulltime employees, down from seven in 2007.
Gordon’s position pays $69,500 a year, plus benefits.
She said she is the official nominee of the Jefferson County Democrats and will file for the office at the county Auditor’s office in June.
Gordon is completing her first four-year term. She won election to the office after having been appointed to the position unanimously by the three county commissioners in 2005.
Since she took office she said she has helped to modernize the office, digitizing the records system and getting rid of old exhibits dating back to 1989.
The Washington Association of County Clerks honored her as the Clerk of the Year in 2008.
In 2007, she was awarded the organization’s Legislative Star for her representation of county clerks’ interests to legislators.
In 2006, Gordon was elected to the Washington Association of County Officials’ Board of Trustees to represent small counties.
As a trustee, she has led the rewriting of the code of ethics, personnel policy and strategic plan for WACO.
In 2007, she joined the Washington Coalition for Open Government board as the only locally elected official on that panel.
In 2009 she was named to serve on the Gender and Justice Commission, a commission of the Washington State Supreme Court.
With that panel she successfully advocated for women prison inmates to give childbirth without wearing shackles.
“I know for a fact that I’ve made people’s lives better,” Gordon said, by “helping to make a level playing field for women.”
State association
She today serves as director of communication for the Washington Association of County Clerks.
Since assuming office, Gordon has overseen a major records digitization project to protect court records and provide better public access, improved verification of document digitization to increase accuracy of the court record, and implemented a modern jury management system for District and Superior Court.
She also instituted new exhibit management protocols for greater efficiency, established improved financial controls, and increased department revenue to the County General Fund.
Gordon said she chose to announce her candidacy in Brinnon because of a sentimental attachment to the south county community.
“During my first term, the Loyalty Days parade rolled around and [Fire] Chief [Bob] Herbst was kind enough to let me ride on the back of a fire engine, throwing Baby Ruth candy bars to children,” she said.
“Life just doesn’t get much better than to ride a fire engine in a small-town parade. That’s still my favorite day in office, I think.”
The county clerk is the ex-officio clerk of Superior Court, meaning that the clerk keeps the record of court proceedings and the financial books for the court, but does not work for the judicial branch.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.