County residents will have two candidates to choose from when filling the Onondaga County Clerk seat left vacant after County Clerk M. Ann Ciarpelli resigned in July after four terms in office.
Sandra Schepp is a candidate running on the Republican, Independence, Conservative and Veterans party lines and Gary Morris, Sr., is a candidate running on the Democratic and Working Family party lines.
Eagle Newspapers recently interviewed the candidates to get an idea of what each candidate represents. Their answers are featured below:
Gary Morris, Sr.
Community Involvement: Current Member of 100 Black Men of Syracuse, Inc.-2009; Current Board Member of Syracuse City School District Educational Foundation Board-2009; Current Member of the Knights of Columbus-2006; Current Member of Syracuse City Democrat Committee. City Chair of the First Ward Committee-1994; Former Board Member of North Syracuse School District Multicultural Committee-2006-2010; Former Board Member of Syracuse Minority Media Coalition-2009-2011; Former Top Campaign Advisor for State Assemblyman Sam Roberts -2010; Former Campaign Manager for Syracuse Common Council President Van Robinson -2009; Past Board Member with Syracuse Model Neighborhood-2006-2007; Ran for Onondaga County Legislator-2005 and 2007; Received the endorsement of The Post-Standard in 2005 and 2007, during run for Onondaga County Legislator; Past award recipient in 2006 and 2008 for Benjamin Banneker Club of Syracuse and Onondaga County; Past Board Member for Neighborhood Action Council 1998-2000; Public Relations Director for Payton Temple Community Men’s Center from 1997-1999; and co-established “Reading Round the World” at Cicero Elementary School 1993-1994.
What makes you qualified to serve as County Clerk?
I have the education, the experience and the qualifications. I have an associate, bachelor and master degrees in business. I have county management experience as a budget analyst for the county executive management and budget department, where I managed, prepared and allocated budgets totaling $81.7 million dollars. I have been a business professor at Onondaga Community College and Cazenovia College for more than seven years. This wealth of education and experience qualifies me as the candidate of choice for County Clerk.
How will you improve the Onondaga County Clerk’s office?
As the next County Clerk, one of my first tasks will be to root out any issues inhibiting the functionality of this office. This will be done by conducting an audit. The goal of this audit will be to:
Show ways of reducing costs, by streamlining processes to operate more efficiently and improve the quality and value of services the County Clerk’s office provides.
Help improve performance-related issues and challenges.
Develop ways to integrate new technology, i.e. E-Recording, to move people out of line and online.
Implement and improve the County Clerk’s office performance to better focus on our core mission. “The County Clerks mission is to record, maintain, protect, and make available for public inspection documents filed in the County Clerk’s Office…”
What goals do you hope to accomplish should you be elected?
My goal is to provide user friendly accessibility to documents in a professional, customer friendly environment, whether in line or online. This will be done by continuously developing or adopting ways to implement cost effective training and promoting staff development, while improving and implementing technological advances to modernize the County Clerk’s office as indicative of the audit.
I intend to improve the quality and value of the services the county clerk’s office provides by modernizing this office, by moving people out of line and online. E-recording is a web-based portal that can be used as an alternative method for delivery of documents. Once received by the county clerk, it is still reviewed and processed. E-recording will not be mandatory and you can still submit your documents by hand or by mail. The advantage of E-recording is it will reduce the turn-around time on getting documents recorded quicker. Errors on a document can be rejected, corrected and sent back for recording all in the same day. This will reduce overhead cost. There would be no need for postage, overnight mail or courier charges. Once a document is accepted and recorded, the recorded information is electronically transmitted to you immediately. All submissions and recording status updates can be tracked. This modernization of the County Clerk’s office will have an impact on professionals, i.e. attorneys, small business owners as well as the community.
Why should voters elect you?
Throughout my life, I have always been dedicated to enriching the lives of my family, my friends and my neighbors. My public and private business experience, coupled with my professional education, make me the candidate of choice for Onondaga County Clerk. Now is the time for me to give back to our county and our city, because it’s all about good service for you.
Sandra Schepp
Community Involvement: Volunteer Fayetteville Fire Department 1990-2003; Director of Medical Operations Fayetteville Fire Department 1991-1997; Manlius Chamber of Commerce
What makes you qualified to serve as County Clerk?
I have worked both in the public and private sector. As a member of the Manlius Town Board, I have worked with many of the same county officials that the clerk has to work with, such as County Legislators Kevin Holmquist, Dave Knapp and Bill Meyer and County Legislature Chairman Ryan McMahon. As general manager of Juno’s Glass, LLC, I understand the importance of meeting a bottom-line. This mix of experience will prove invaluable in the County Clerk’s Office. I have the fiscal discipline to manage a $4 million budget.
If elected, how will you improve the Onondaga County Clerk’s office?
The Onondaga County Clerk’s Office needs to catch up with our surrounding counties in both technology and service. Onondaga County is one of the few counties that does not handle DMV transactions. DMV transactions, while adding work, can also take some of the burden off of local taxpayers. As clerk, I will work with our local state representatives towards bringing DMV transactions back to the clerk’s office. The Clerk’s Office is our County’s repository of documents. Other counties have shown the way to bring documents online in a secure and beneficial manner. Onondaga County needs to catch up.
What goals do you hope to accomplish should you be elected?
Beyond working towards DMV transactions and improving technology, I will also seed better relations between the clerk’s office and residents. I will do this by bringing the clerk’s office to the people with a rotating schedule of visits to our town clerk offices, enabling people to transact business closer to home and saving a trip downtown.
Why should voters elect you?
With a $4 million budget, the county clerk’s office demands fiscal responsibility. My experience in local government and private business gives me a unique perspective that my opponent lacks. The voters of Manlius have honored me with their trust for 12 years, now I ask the voters of Onondaga County for that same trust. On Nov. 6, I ask you to cast your ballot for me, Sandy Schepp, so we may bring much needed change to the Onondaga County Clerk’s Office.
