'It's time:' Akron clerk candidates tout their experience in race focused on technology
The Summit County clerk wants to become the Akron clerk.
The Akron clerk wants to remain the Akron clerk.
The question is: Who is best qualified to lead the Akron Municipal Court clerk’s office at what is a pivotal time?
Sandra Kurt, a Democrat who has helmed the Summit County clerk’s office since January 2016, says she has helped modernize the Summit clerk and would do the same in the Akron clerk’s office.
“I want to bring that office into the 21st century,” she said. “I think it’s time.”
Debbie Walsh, a Republican who was appointed Akron clerk in November 2021, says she wants the chance to continue the improvements she’s started.
“I love my job,” she said. “I like what I’m doing. I would love to continue with it.”
The clerk’s race in the Nov. 7 election is happening as the office is being moved from the Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center down the block to renovated space in the Oliver Ocasek building. That move will start Monday and continue over several weeks.
A project is also underway to install a new case management system in the clerk’s office that is aimed at making records more easily accessible and less reliant on paper.
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The clerk’s race won’t have party affiliations on the ballot, but that doesn’t mean the local parties aren’t invested in the outcome. At stake is control of an office with 43 employees and an annual budget of about $4.7 million.
The Republicans have had control of the clerk’s office since it was created, but the Democrats would love to topple their rein in the last elected position in Akron held by the GOP. Plus, if Kurt beats Walsh, the local Democratic Party would get to appoint a replacement for the Summit clerk through the end of Kurt’s term that ends in 2024.
Current Akron clerk: Debbie Walsh
Walsh, 68, has split her career between working in the private and public sectors.
She was a buyer and manager in the retail industry for 25 years, including working for Higbee’s, Macy’s and Toys “R” Us. She then switched to local politics, working for the Summit County Board of Elections and as executive director for the local GOP under late, long-time chairman Alex Arshinkoff.
Walsh served for two years on the Akron school board in 2015 and 2016 before returning to the elections board as the assistant director. She was appointed by the GOP in November 2021 to take over for long-time Akron clerk Jim Laria, who retired from the seat he’d held for 25 years.
More: Longtime Akron clerk Jim Laria leaves 'big shoes to fill' with retirement, says GOP chair
Walsh said one of the first steps she took was to make sure every employee had internet access. Prior to this, she said, some employees only had access to internal court records.
Walsh also continued plans for a new case-management system through Tyler Technologies, a Texas-based company. She said this has proved challenging because Tyler hadn’t previously assisted a municipal court in Ohio besides Cleveland. She said it has taken a long time to figure out the coding for dispersals to multiple agencies.
“We have lots of jurisdictions,” she said. “All these are ticket-writing entities. They can write a ticket and we need to make sure the money is dispersed to the communities that wrote the ticket or the state.”
Besides Akron, the court’s jurisdiction includes Fairlawn, Bath, Richfield, Springfield Township, Lakemore and the Summit County portion of Mogadore.
Walsh hopes the new case management system will be implemented by early next year. She said the new system will make more documents available on the clerk’s website and will enable electronic filing and e-ticketing.
“It won’t be 100 percent paperless for a couple of years,” said Walsh, who noted that only one municipal court in Ohio is completely paperless. “It is definitely a goal.”
Walsh recently came under scrutiny by Akron City Council when she requested $375,000 to build shelves and move records for the clerk and probation departments to the new space in the Ocasek building. She told council members that her office is required to keep many records and said it would be costlier — she estimated $1 million — to scan and index the records before the move.
Council members approved the request, though the large price tag raised concerns.
Walsh said her office will be challenged during the move to the new building, basically operating out of both spaces for a few weeks. She said this will be especially difficult because they are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for police officers to file complaints and the public to make payments, such as for bail.
Walsh thinks she’s done a good job for the past two years and that she’s the best person to continue leading this office.
“It just has to do with my experience,” she said. “I’ve got over 40 years of management between the private sector and public service. I can manage the staff.”
Current Summit Clerk: Sandra Kurt
Kurt, 62, also started in the private sector, working as an industrial engineer, before switching to the public realm.
Kurt served on Akron and Summit County Council before being appointed the Summit County clerk in January 2016 when Daniel Horrigan became Akron mayor. She held onto the clerk seat in the 2016 and 2020 elections.
When Kurt took over as Summit clerk, the office had electronic filing for the civil division. She added e-filing for the criminal and domestic relations divisions, as well as the 9th District Court of Appeals.
Kurt thinks the Akron clerk’s office is behind the times compared to other municipal clerk’s offices, including Stow, that have at least started going electronic. She said having a paper system means records can be lost and public record requests often take longer to fill.
“I’ve modernized this office and made it work more professionally for our customers,” Kurt said. “The Akron clerk’s office is still all on paper.”
If she’s elected Akron clerk, Kurt said she would decide on a case-by-case basis whether to keep employees. She said it’s tough right now to find qualified staff, with her having not reopened the Fairlawn title office since the pandemic because of a shortage of employees.
“My main goal is to have an office that is functioning for the residents and the court,” she said. “That means I have to be objective about those things. I can’t just be reactionary.”
Kurt said she is the best candidate because she’s already modernized one clerk’s office.
“I have the experience and professionalism to make the Akron clerk’s office into the office we all want and deserve,” she said.
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com, 330-996-3705 and on Twitter: @swarsmithabj.
About the Akron clerk candidates
SANDRA KURT
Personal: 62. Lives in Akron.
Political Party: Democrat.
Title: Summit County clerk of courts, appointed in January 2016 and won elections in 2016 and 2020.
Prior political offices: Akron City Council Ward 8 (2010-2012.) Summit County Council At-Large (2012-2016.)
Describe the job of clerk (in 10 words or less): “Maintain the courts’ records and collect and distribute fees.”
DEBBIE WALSH
Personal: 68. Lives in Akron.
Political Party: Republican.
Title: Akron clerk of courts, appointed in November 2021.
Prior political offices: Akron board of education (2015-2016.)
Describe the job of clerk: “Customer-focused, 24/7/365-service, accurate, record-keeping, steward public money.”
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Sandra Kurt or Debbie Walsh: Who would be the best Akron clerk?
