The county clerk is responsible for keeping records of births, deaths, assumed names, con-partnerships, marriage licenses, gun permits, processing passports and generally keeping up with vital records of those who reside in the county.
Democrat Jamie Correia is in her 15th year with the county clerk’s office and 10th year as county clerk. She faces Republican Connie T. Doss in the general election. Both women are from Berryville.
“It is my pleasure to work with the citizens of Carroll County,” Correia said. “I have diligently worked on keeping within my budget to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. I wholeheartedly believe in saving taxpayers’ dollars. I have had clean audits since taking office. I am blessed with a dedicated, honest, hard-working staff with a bi-lingual employee to help with the Hispanic community. We continually work within guidelines of the law, knowing the Carroll County Clerk’s office is the hub of all offices.”
Correia said while in office she has continued modernizing the county clerk’s office. She has scanned ordinances, resolutions, court documents and marriage licenses, and is currently in the process of indexing them to have them on the clerk’s website for public viewing. She has also purchased updated voting equipment.
“I feel it’s important to meet the needs of our community, and making sure people have access to the county clerk’s office puts us one step closer in the right direction,” Correia said. “While in office I have served on the Audit Committee, Personnel Committee and Legislative Committee for the Arkansas County Clerk Association, and on the board of Carroll County Democratic Women.
“I am past president of the Carroll County Cattlewomen’s Association. I am a Farm Bureau member, and a member of the Ozark Meadows Complex II [senior citizens low income housing development] Board of Directors. I am a member of the Democratic Party of Carroll County and am Chair of the Directory Committee for the Arkansas County Clerk’s Association, along with being a Notary Public.”
Correia said by serving on these committees, she continuously educates herself on how to better serve the community, and would continue to put forth her best efforts in making the clerk’s office an efficient place of business.
Correia said to check your voter registration status, go to the website www.co.carroll.ar.us and click on voterview.org.
Connie T. Doss said as the county bookkeeper and record keeper, she will make sure there is a financial statement and budget that is Generally Accepted Accounting Principles compliant. Financial statements and budgets, as well as a Quorum Court register of ordinances and resolutions, are currently not available online and are the responsibility of the county clerk.
“The last budget available online on the county clerk’s website is from 2010,” Doss said. “I will also have all probate and trusts information made available online so those who need access to this information in the normal course of their jobs don’t have to physically come to the county clerk’s office to do their research. It’s a waste of money on both sides of the desk and should have been done long ago.”
Doss said she would hire a bi-lingual employee who not only can carry a conversation, but also read and write in Spanish. “The county clerk’s offices in both locations are there to serve everyone regardless of race, creed, orientation, etc., and no one will be turned away because we can’t effectively communicate,” she said.
Doss has an Associate’s in Business Administration with an emphasis in accounting. She has worked as a church bookkeeper and business manager, and as a business consultant/bookkeeper for a large landscaper. She said she loves working elections, and worked her way from poll worker to poll captain, tabulator, and now sets up polling sites and troubleshoots problems that arise on Election Day.
“I was asked to come to the county clerk’s office to assist the election coordinator prepare for the last general election and did so effectively, learning more skills,” she said. “In 2015, I returned to school armed with years of business experience to successfully complete my Bachelor’s degree in business in 2017.
“I have been the board president of the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, board treasurer to Martha & Mary House, and most currently was the board treasurer for the Berryville Band Boosters, Inc., in which the organization showed a 134 percent increase in its primary fundraising effort through the establishment of sound business practices and price point sales.
“I am an effective business person who enjoys the challenge of improving processes through best practices and servant leadership,” she said. “I am someone who likes to work for a cause, something bigger than myself where the reward is a job well done with the vision of what can be accomplished through cooperation, hard work, and a bit of fun to spice up our work life.
“What bigger cause can I have than to want to work for the taxpayers of this county? I have been working toward the county clerk’s position for quite some time. I have the skills. I have the education. I have the temperament. I lead people and manage things, which is an important distinction. It is not what inspired me, but who.”