Editor,

I met both Debra Van Pelt and Deidre Butler in the spring of 2019 when I applied for a position with the Clerk’s Office. I started working for the Clerk’s Office May 6, 2019; Ms. Butler was Ms. Van Pelt’s chief deputy. I had the opportunity to observe both of them in a leadership/management role over the next almost two years. On a Monday morning in early March 2021, Ms. Butler approached me and told me, “It has been a pleasure working with you.” She then turned around and left because she had just submitted her resignation, without notice and effective immediately.

Ms. Van Pelt filled the sudden gap in staffing herself. For the next several weeks she performed the Chief Deputy’s duties and her own, often working seven days a week to ensure the Clerk’s mission was successful and our citizen’s access to the judicial system remained uninterrupted. Full disclosure, during those weeks of short staffing Ms. Van Pelt also trained me to take over the role of the chief deputy.

To this day I remain amazed at amount of knowledge Ms. Van Pelt has regarding the legislatively mandated functions of the Clerk’s Office. Our staff knows that no matter what is filed in our office, Ms. Van Pelt can guide us to ensuring it is properly received and accurately filed into the Court Management System. This is crucial in order for the judges to have access to the most up-to-date and accurate information when hearing and judging our citizens cases.

Ms. Van Pelt is also an outstanding manager and leader. She has an open-door policy and can tailor training on the fly to meet any staff member’s learning needs. This ensures we are all prepared to meet any challenge that arises on any given day.

I spent over thirty years of my life serving in the U.S Navy. During those thirty years I never chose my leaders. Now I get to choose who leads me and I choose Debra Van Pelt.

Please vote for Debra Van Pelt; she has the expertise and leadership our county has come to expect and deserve.

Ronnie Brown

Freeland