Franklin County GOP register & recorder candidates make their case
Two candidates are running for the Republican nomination for register and recorder in Franklin County.
Joy Heinbaugh and Clayton Bendell will appear on GOP ballots for the primary election on May 16.
Heinbaugh is a veteran employee of the register and recorder's office and has been serving as the interim register and recorder for several months since the retirement of her predecessor.
Bendell is a 20-something who works in a family business and wants to get involved in public service.
There is no race on the Democratic ticket. John J. Patterson, of Greene Township, is the only candidate.
The register and recorder is elected to a four-year term. The office records all documents related to land records, deeds and mortgages; handles probate of estates; and is a collection agency for the Department of Revenue for State Realty Transfer Tax, among other things.
We asked the GOP candidates to respond to a few questions via email. Below are their responses, listed in the order the candidates will appear on the ballot. Their responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Joy Heinbaugh, 45, Quincy Township
Tell voters about yourself and why you are running for register and recorder.
I started my career in the Register and Recorder’s Office over 18 years ago as a Department Clerk and worked my way up to the position of Chief Deputy in 2016. On Sept. 30, the former Register and Recorder Linda Miller retired after serving for 35 years. In her retirement letter, she asked the Franklin County Commissioners to appoint me as her replacement so I have been serving as the Interim Register and Recorder since Oct. 1.
In my role as Interim Register and Recorder, I am fully knowledgeable of all aspects of the office and have a proven track record in overseeing the daily operations of the office. Prior to coming to the Register & Recorder’s Office, I also worked in the Voter Registration Office and the Treasurer’s Office for several years.
I am a Franklin County native and a graduate of Waynesboro Area Senior High School where I was a member of the National Honor Society. I currently reside in the Waynesboro area with my husband. We are the proud parents of three adult sons and two daughter in laws.
What will be your top priority if elected, and why?
I will continue to be fiscally conservative and an office holder that uses technology to enhance services that our office provides to the residents of Franklin County.
Our office was the first in the County to implement e-recording, which allows attorneys and title companies to file documents online instead of having to come to the office. The Landex software system is another project that I have been deeply involved in from the very beginning which allows subscribers to have remote access to our land records.
If elected, I promise to be a faithful steward of taxpayer dollars and continue to look for ways to increase efficiencies within the office. For example, I have pledged to be a full-time working supervisor and plan to eliminate a vacant full-time staff position, thus saving almost $40,000 for the taxpayers of Franklin County in my 2023 budget.
Why are you the best candidate for register and recorder?
Experience is so important because both of these office functions are very unique, extremely complex and require intimate knowledge of many legal and state requirements. It is the responsibility of the Recorder of Deeds to record and maintain accurate and complete records related to real estate transactions in Franklin County. The Register of Wills is tasked with probating estates, collecting inheritance taxes, etc. I bring 18 years of experience to this position which is so crucial in offering solid guidance to the general public. Here are just a few things that a Register and Recorder is responsible for:
Records all documents pertaining to land records including deeds, mortgages, easements, rights-of-way, etc. (approximately 19,000 per year)
Handles the probate of estates upon death for executors or administrators. (approximately 800 per year)
Collection agency for Department of Revenue for state realty transfer tax and inheritance tax. For the year ending Dec. 31, over $30 million was collected by our office.
Records military discharge records, and notary bonds & commissions.
Attends court hearings as a witness to delinquent estate filings.
Makes daily bank deposits, prepares monthly state reports and participates in various audits.
Responsible for preparing the annual budget for both the Recorder of Deeds & Register of Wills Office.
Member of the County Records Improvement Committee.
In her endorsement of my candidacy, Linda Miller, the former Register and Recorder, stated, “The duties of this dual office are integral to the real estate and legal workings of our community and Franklin County deserves a Register and Recorder that can confidently perform all those duties on Day One!”
Who else is on the ballot? Here are the candidates running for local offices in Franklin County's 2023 primary
Clayton Bendell, 24, Montgomery Township
Tell voters about yourself and why you are running for register and recorder.
I’m a young, exuberant conservative. Graduated from Shippensburg University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. For the past couple of years, I’ve worked at my family’s business, Thompson Oil Company. My overall duty is to see that the company is running efficiently and providing the highest quality of service to our customers. Some of those duties include costumer service, billings, oil and supply inventory, getting my hands dirty with service work and pulling hose on the oil delivery trucks. In my private life, I enjoy activities like fishing, riding my motorcycle and spending quality time with friends and family.
I am running for Register & Recorder to serve the people of this great county and provide the best constituent service possible, while actively seeking ways to update the office and make it efficient in a cost-effective manner. The desire to serve the public has always been an interest of mine. This position to me is the opportunity to get into public service and have a positive impact on the community. Another reason to why I am running is to hopefully set a precedent for other young people to get involved and make a difference.
What will be your top priority if elected, and why?
The taxpayers will be my top priority on day one, as well as the individuals that utilize our services. As an elected official, your duty is to assure the taxpayers that you work for them and not the other way around. The taxpayers and the individuals who utilize our office functions pay to provide necessary and quality services, and I have every intention to deliver impeccable service on their behalf. If I can improve the service and make it more efficient, while lowering the cost for the taxpayers and end users, then I have done the job that I was elected to do.
Why are you the best candidate for register and recorder?
What makes me the best candidate for Register and Recorder is the fact that I have worked outside of government for my professional career. The experience that I do have is business experience, and with that, I know how to be innovative and creative. In the private sector, if one doesn’t adapt and bring new ideas and innovation to the organization, that organization fails. I want to take private sector ideas and apply them to the office of Register and Recorder to better improve the efficiency of the office and to lower cost for the people of Franklin County. Good customer service is also imperative, and that I pride myself on.
This article originally appeared on Chambersburg Public Opinion: Q&A with GOP candidates for Franklin County register and recorder
