CHEYENNE — The retirement of 30-year veteran Laramie County Clerk of District Court Gerrie Bishop has opened the door for two candidates with a passion for records.
Democrat Wendy Soto and Republican Sandy Landers come to the table with resumes full of experience.
The clerk of district court is responsible for maintaining the records of all cases filed in the First Judicial District Court dating back to 1890. The clerk oversees the staff of the office, processes cases and court-ordered payments, as well as administrative appeals to the Wyoming Supreme Court.
Landers, a 38-year employee of the clerk’s office, currently serves as the chief deputy. She was appointed to the position in 1982 and carries out the responsibilities of the district court clerk when she is unavailable.
“I feel like I’ve served the public for 38 years, and I want to continue that in another capacity,” Landers said.
Soto said she hopes to bring her energy and experience to the office with a new perspective.
“I have always been a public servant in my career, and I’m very proud of that,” Soto said. “I’m the only candidate who can bring a fresh face and a diverse perspective.”
Soto currently serves as the executive secretary to the State Board of Equalization. In that capacity, she serves the clerk of court function for the state tax court.
Both women say they are ready to continue the technological progress the clerk’s office has made recently with the development of a statewide computer records system set to go live in 2012.
Landers serves on a committee with representatives from all 23 counties to take the best part of each district’s computer system and put it into one.
“We don’t want to go backward,” she said. “We’re trying to cover all the good aspects of the computer system.”
Soto said she built a similar system “from the ground up” at the Board of Equalization.
“My plan would be to work with the public servants who are already there working on the project and be able to contribute my experience and expertise,” she said.
If elected, Soto hopes to bring all the office’s stakeholders together to talk about what work works well and what could use improvement.
“I think it is wise as a new administrator to go and meet with the people who have been doing the work,” Soto said. “I think it’s a good opportunity for someone who is fiscally conservative to look at the budgets and evaluate that.”
Soto has worked in the legal field as a paralegal for private practice attorneys and is currently working on her master’s degree in public administration.
“I’m looking forward to serving the public in a greater capacity,” Soto said. “I think it’s a big responsibility.”
Landers said her time spent in the district court clerk’s office puts her a step above and would make the transition especially smooth.
“I feel like I’m the best candidate because I actually have hands-on experience,” she said. “I feel that matters a lot.”
Landers began her career in the clerk’s office when she was a 17-year-old bookkeeper. She has since worked in almost every capacity within the office.
“I don’t feel I could probably walk in Wendy’s shoes in her office,” Landers said. “With her not working here — I think it would be difficult for her to come in also.”
Soto said change is something she’s very accustomed to, but she understands that it can be difficult for people.
“My goal would be to have as open a door as possible for the staff and do what I can to put their minds at ease,” she said. “I have no intention of coming in and making wholesale changes without knowing or understanding how those changes would impact the workflow and the people who work there.”
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