Marshall, Adair,
French and
Chambers vying
for seat

By Mary Garrison
Tribune-Courier Features Editor
mgarrison@tribunecourier.com

BENTON – The office of Circuit Court Clerk may never be the same. For perhaps the first time, the seat has drawn four potential candidates out for the primary election on May 18. And right now, it’s anybody’s race.

Incumbent Carla Marshall was appointed to the position in 2008, after Linda Carol Fisk took an unexpected retirement. Because circuit court clerk terms are in six-year increments, Foust appointed Marshall to hold the office until the next possible election, in this case 2010. The seat will be up for regular election in 2012.

In the meantime, Marshall has determined to stay right where she’s at. The current clerk filed to run in the May 18 primary, but it’s not going to be easy.

Marshall has three competitors for the position, though Marshall said she feels she’s uniquely qualified, having served in it for the last two years.

“Experience does matter,” Marshall said. “There are so many different cases in this office, it’s very important that you have complete knowledge of the office and its procedures.”

Marshall said the next clerk will be required to jump in and work, rather than just manage staff, as well.

“The number of cases has continued to increase, but the state hasn’t had the money to allow us to hire additional staff,” Marshall said. “We’re five short. Now more than ever we need a working clerk, not just a figurehead. That’s what I want to keep doing.”

Marshall has been working in the Circuit Court clerk’s office since 1990, beginning first under W.J. “Toad” Brien and then Linda Carol Fisk. She was chief deputy to Fisk from 1996 until her appointment to the clerk’s position. She said above all, she wants to see the office continue to run smoothly and efficiently.

“I had two great examples of what a great circuit court clerk should be,” Marshall said. “My goal has never been to change the office but to see that it remains what it has always been: effiicient and helpful.”

It’s a mission Marshall County native Glenda Barnes-Adair said she hopes to carry on if elected, as well.

Adair determined to throw her hat into the ring after Fisk retired in 2008, taking the test and passing to prepare.

“I had been watching this office and knew I was qualified to manage,” Adair said. “I feel like with my education and experience I can do this and do it well.”

Adair received an accounting degree from Murray State University. In previous years she worked for Reed and Company Public Accountants before returning to get a graduate degree in business administration as well as a teaching certification.

Thereafter, Adair worked for the U.S. Farm Service Agency and Pam Sirls during tax season. Most recently, she spent time working as an auditor in the U.S. Department of Revenue.

It’s experience that she said gives her an advantage for the clerk’s position.

“Any job I’ve ever done has prepared me for this,” Adair said. “From handling confidential files to financial aspects.”

Above all, though, Adair said she wants to serve the community in which she’s been raised.

“I’ve met so many wonderful people, and I want to serve them now,” Adair said. “That’s what it all boils down to. Service is the main thing. We have a knowledgeable, courteous, efficient staff, and that’s how I’ll run my office. When you walk in, there will be a smiling face and someone to say ‘may I help you?’”

Adair said it goes back to ethics and personal morals.

“People want to know they can trust and depend on you,” she said. “They can do that with me.”

Competitor Susanna French said she can give the community that and more. French said her objective if elected to the office is to improve accessibility to the public.

French said it is often difficult for those who work to get away to take care of mandatory business such as renewing a driver’s license -without having to take off from work. It’s something she’d like to see changed.

“There’s always room to improve,” French said. “If I’m elected, the office will stay open an hour and a half later one night a week. I’ll work it myself to keep anyone else from having to if need be.”

French said she feels she is fit for the job due to past work experience. French served as paralegal to former commonwealth attorney Mike Ward for 15 years, working in and out of the court system daily.

“The business of the court is what I know,” French said. “I know the job, and I know what it takes to get it done.”

French said she spent a great deal of time training for victim’s advocacy, working with the grand jury and the public as part of her duties as a paralegal. Her knowledge and experience, she said, make her a strong candidate to work for the people of the community.

“If we don’t find ways to serve the public, we’re just serving ourselves,” she said. “I love the judicial system — it’s my heart.”

Despite being active in politics for approximately eight years and serving as president of the Kentucky Democratic Women, French said she’s no politician. Public service is her main goal.

“For any elected official it is imperative to be there to help,” French said. “Our citizens are our employers.”

It’s a sentiment echoed by Melonie Chambers, as well. Chambers has worked in county government since 1983, when she was hired as assistant to Marshall County Judge-Executive Mike Miller. It’s experience she said has prepared her for the clerk’s position well.

“My job isn’t really that different now,” Chambers said. “The circuit court clerk is the official record keeper of the court system. I’ve been acting as the Marshall County Fiscal Court Clerk, keeping the records accurately both past and present for more than 25 years.”

Chambers said she, like others, is not a politician, but she has a genuine interest in the court system as it has played such a crucial role in her own life, both professionally and personally.

Her husband Brien’s grandmother, Martha Nell Holland served as Circuit Court Clerk until 1972, taking up after her own husband passed away. Between the two, Chambers said they held the office for 42 years.

And it was Holland’s signature on Chambers’ adoption papers. Years later, when she became family, Chambers said Holland sparked her interest in the position, speaking about her love of working with and for the people.

Chambers said she, too, wants to be a working clerk, rather than just a manager, and she hopes to improve accessiblity of the office to the public through use of the internet.

“I’m going to work on getting what I can done to where people might be able to take care of business through the web when paying fines and such,” Chambers said. “I’ve considered opening for a little while on Saturday, too, but it largely depends on building security.”

Chambers said above all, she wants to continue to help those around her in whatever way she is able.

“It’s really important to me that you treat others as you want them to treat you,” Chambers said. “I want to do my best to create a friendlier atmosphere.

“I’m really thankful that I’ve been able to work for the people of this community for so long in this capacity,” Chambers continued. “I want to keep working for them.”