By By NORMA LERNER / Dowagiac Daily News
CASSOPOLIS -- Two Republican candidates are vying for the office of clerk-register on the Aug. 3 primary ballot. A four-year seat, James Becraft, 55, a 29-year county employee who is a geographic informational system technician with Cass County's Property Description Department, and Barbara Wilson, 47, a judicial assistant and assignment clerk for Circuit Judge Michael E. Dodge, are both putting their hats in the ring.
Becraft said efficient and friendly service will be one of his top priorities.
He plans to help the governmental units of the county to implement the Help America Vote Act state mandated optical scan voting machines. All jurisdictions must have the same system in place for the 2006 elections, he said.
Becraft says another project would be to install a document imaging system for deeds to be scanned on the computer. He says this should make the searching and retrieval of deeds and mortgages much simpler than the present microfilm card and reader system.
Becraft is a graduate of Edwardsburg High School and has attended Southwestern Michigan College and Michigan Technological University. He is also a veteran of the U.S. Army.
He is currently president of the Cass County Title Office and is an assistant beef superintendent for the Cass County Fair.
Becraft and his wife, Janice, operate a small beef farm at 69675 Five Points Road, Edwardsburg. They are the parents of three grown children.
Wilson resides with her husband, David, at 25478 Dewey Lake Street Dowagiac. She said she would fully automate the clerk-register's office to include a Website to provide on-line forms and information to the public.
She said forms could be filled out in advance.
Wilson also says customer service is important in running an office.
Another priority would be to cross-train the staff. She would also like to accept fax court filings, particularly from out-of-town attorneys.
Wilson is a former secretary of the Dowagiac Little League, a member of the Michigan Association of Circuit Court Professionals, a member of Michigan Electronic Court Recorders and a member of the Michigan Association of Circuit Court Administrators.
She and her husband are the parents of two grown children.