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Overcast Clerk candidates talk technology
O’Connell, Solages seek to update county office operations
For residents of Nassau County, dealing with the county clerk is something that needs to be done only sparingly — when registering a business, closing on a home or filing litigation. But thousands of people use the services of the office every day, and while it is politically low-profile, it is vital to the county’s operations.
“When people call in to the county offices and don’t ask for the district attorney or someone specific, the operator usually directs them to the county clerk,” the current office holder, Maureen O’Connell, said in a recent interview. The clerk’s office can often seem like a catch-all — a place to send someone when they need a form, any form, or have a question about what their government is doing for them.
But O’Connell and her opponent, Elmont lawyer Carrié Solages, think of the county clerk as an extremely detail-oriented and outreach-intensive position.
In this year’s race, both candidates consider technology the most significant issue. “This office has a lot to be fixed,” Solages said. “I think it needs a fresh start from someone who has a legal and technical background.” Solages, who runs a law practice with his brother, said he has the know-how to bring the county clerk’s office into the 21st century.
For her part, O’Connell said that propelling the office forward is something she has been working on for two years, and will continue to do if she is re-elected. She spearheaded an effort to take the clerk’s functions online, with an e-filing system that she said takes a lot of the pain out of filing court documents. The results, O’Connell believes, speak for themselves.
“This initiative saves time and trees and permits access and filing capabilities even when the courthouse is closed,” she said. “In 2007, we processed 17 e-filed cases, but this year, we have processed over 25,000 e-filed cases.”
O’Connell is staking her reputation on her ability to turn the office around and resolve more than 2 million backlogged filings, bringing the office to the point where filings are processed as soon as they’re filed. “We have real-time recording here in the office,” she said. “While it may sound like a filing service, I don’t think the people who access the office consider it that.”
