A Republican and Democratic candidate running for Power County clerk

AMERICAN FALLS – Republican incumbent Sharee Sprague is being challenged by Democrat Leona Jackson for Power County clerk.

EastIdahoNews.com sent the same eight questions to each candidate. Their unedited responses, listed below, were required to be 250 words or less.

The general election is on Nov. 8.

Tell us about yourself — include information about your family, career, education, volunteer work and any prior experience in public office.

Sprague: My husband Bryan and I have raised three amazing successful children with hearts for service. I have a long history of volunteerism and service. I have over 30 years of court experience, seven years as elected clerk, High Performance Leadership Master graduate, Government Finance Academy graduate, and currently serve on the SEICAA Executive Board.

I have served on the Governor’s Cyber-Security Sub-Committee and organized an Elections Security Certification training for 19 of Idaho’s clerks.

I currently serve on the Magistrate Commission, the Judicial Mentor Program Advisory Council, and as Chair of the IACRC Judicial Committee over the past seven years have forged a better bridge between the courts and clerks. I assisted in the development of the newly revitalized Clerk Advisory Group for the Idaho Supreme Court. I was one of the first members appointed to develop the Court Assistance Pilot program and worked with the Idaho Supreme Court to develop and implement services to assure access to the courts by self-represented litigants. I developed the first family workshop in the State and the first free attorney workshop.

Jackson: I moved to American Falls in 1990 when my dad was hired as the American Falls High School Ag teacher, FFA advisor, and football coach. I graduated from AFHS in 1999 and moved to Pocatello to attend Idaho State University.

In 2003, I married Reggie, my high school sweetheart, and in 2007 we had our daughter, Leila. In 2008 we moved back to American Falls so Leila could walk to her grandparents’ homes, attend superb schools, and we could be a part of a tight-knit and diverse community.

I have worked with English Language Learners at AFHS, in the Power County Prosecutor’s Office, Power County Clerk’s Office and am currently working in a private law firm. For approximately six years while working in the Clerk’s Office, I was the chief elections deputy clerk, where I assisted the clerk in administering all county elections and training poll workers. I was a deputy clerk in the magistrate division of the district court; I accepted passport applications; received and recorded documents; issued and recorded marriage licenses; maintained the county’s inventory; assisted community members in county records searches; and maintained the Clerk’s Office portion of the county website and assured all information was current and accurate.

While not working in the Clerk’s Office, I have been a poll worker. I am a motivated learner and eager to take advantage of all training and networking opportunities and will hit the ground running.

What are your proudest accomplishments in your personal life or career?

Jackson: Of course, in my personal life, my proudest accomplishment is my family and what each of us has been able to achieve with the support and encouragement of each other. In my career, I’m most proud of my service to underrepresented communities.

Sprague: My family is my proudest accomplishment. We have a big family full of strong, successful hard-working members with integrity that are always willing to help those in need. My heart and pride grows as I watch them raise the next generation of amazing humans. I have spent the past 30 years gaining better understanding of the dynamics of the systems in which I serve to develop better, more transparent access to the services. I am proud to have been instrumental in the development of the Court Assistance program as one of the original appointed committee members, Statewide Court Assistance Officer Trainer, Sixth District Lead Court Assistance Officer and created the first self-represented litigant family forms workshop, free attorney workshop and veteran’s attorney workshop. Upon becoming elected, I learned that there was no training for Clerks. During my tenure as clerk, I have been instrumental in developing and implementing training and Clerk Mentoring programs and am working toward a continuing education program to provide better support to future clerks. I just finished up my term as the Idaho Association of County Clerk and Recorder’s President.

Why are you a member of the Republican / Democrat / Independent / Other party? Briefly explain your political
platform.

Sprague: I have always identified with the founding fundamentals of the Republican party (abolition of slavery, low taxes, capitalism, conservative policies and less government).

Jackson: I am a member of the Democratic party because their ideas and policies most closely align with my beliefs; however, because the clerk’s duties are prescribed by law, the clerk should not be partisan in performing their duties. It does not matter if the clerk is a Republican or Democrat only that they are the best qualified to carry out the responsibilities of the office.

What are the greatest challenges facing residents in your county?

Jackson: I think an important issue facing Power County is the need for county departments and agencies to work together. To best serve the public, all county personnel need to openly communicate with one another and work towards a common goal: providing top-tier services to our community.

Sprague: Since the closure of FMC, Power County has suffered from despondent economic development, which has caused an extreme shift in tax obligation to home owners and farmers. I am proud to be a citizen of a community that understood the value and validity of passing a bond to purchase water for economic development, which continues to be a proven valued investment. The personal property and transient property tax exemptions implemented during the past two Legislative Sessions continue to have significant impact on Power County.

How will you best represent the views of your constituents – even those with differing political views?

Sprague: I believe it is vital that we stand up and serve every resident in our community. I have worked very hard for the citizens in Power County and am proud to captain an effective harmonious team that has successfully implemented five mandated software upgrades. I hope to once again gain the confidence of this community so we can continue with the goals toward transparency, security and efficiency. Every person deserves the same service. Their reason for seeking service, beliefs and political views have no bearing in our office.

Jackson: For the majority of my adult life, I have worked in the public sector. My first job after graduating from high school was working with American Falls High School students in the English as a Learned Language program, I then worked in the Power County Prosecutor’s Office before working in the Power County Clerk’s Office.

Currently, I’m working in a law firm that handles civil rights cases and public defender work for federal offenses. My prior work experience has given me the tools to work patiently and compassionately with all members of the community no matter their background or political views. I am detail oriented and am excited to bring that aspect of my personality to the Clerk’s Office.

I also look forward to bringing my enthusiasm to work for the public to the Clerk’s Office. As discussed in an earlier answer, the clerk’s duties are outlined by Idaho Code and the clerk should not be partisan in carrying out the duties of the office. If elected, I will not allow politics to play any role in how I perform my duties.

What are your goals while in office? Are there any specific projects or issues that are important to you?

Jackson: I believe the clerk’s office would benefit from some small changes that would better serve the public. There appears to be a high rate of employee turnover in the office, a lack of requested training, and low morale. I think these issues are all interrelated and can be easily resolved. If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that offices can’t have a single employee that performs one task. A worker could be out of the office for an extended period and if no other co-worker knows how to perform those duties, the public is underserved. If elected county clerk, all Clerk’s Office employees will be cross trained to eliminate specific knowledge from being held by a single deputy clerk and allow the public continuous service if there is an unexpected and extended absence. If all deputy clerks are cross trained and have the knowledge and ability to assist a colleague, this will relieve some job-related stress, reduce job burnout, and improve employee morale and retention. I have the utmost confidence the deputy clerks working in the clerk’s office are competent and qualified to perform their duties; however, they could also benefit from additional and on-going training that would allow the deputy clerks to rely on each other and in turn better serve the public. I would lead the office with a relaxed professionalism that would allow everyone to thrive in their positions and express their thoughts and critiques of me and my leadership style and abilities.

Sprague: While the County Commissioners are charged with final budget and county business decisions, the community approved a bond to purchase water rights for economic development. In an absence of growth, we are beginning to realize some economic development in our community. My goals are to develop strategies and recommendations for consideration by the Commission to hopefully satisfy the bond early and creation of a revenue stream that would provide tax relief to the community.

With the repeal of the indigent program and the transfer of public defense services to the State level, my goal is to transition those services out of the county while recommending preservation of non-medical services and diversion of reserve funds to provide for tax reductions within the transitional period.

Development of a continuing education and solidified mentoring program for clerk’s is something I hope to see come to fruition during my tenure as Elected Clerk. Continued education and development of public trust is another area I hope to continue working toward.

Do you have any plans to significantly reduce or expand staffing or make changes to the county budget if elected? Are there areas that need more funding or areas where cutbacks could be made?

Sprague: We work very hard to absorb the additional duties imposed by legislative changes without increasing personnel. There are impending changes coming as we prepare for retirement of seasoned personnel and the influx of time management required for the statewide mandated court software system. Therefore, I will be working toward a contingency plan in preparation of those transitions.

Jackson: At this time, I have no intention to significantly expand or reduce the staffing of the Power County Clerk’s Office. As county clerk, it is my duty to responsibly use taxpayer funds that have been allocated to the clerk’s office by the commissioners. It is not the clerk’s duty to determine where taxpayer funds are allocated; that is the sole responsibility of the commissioners. It is also not the responsibility of the clerk to dictate how other departments spend their taxpayer allocated money. As clerk, I can assure you I will use taxpayer dollars responsibly and without waste for everyday office expenses and employee training and retention.

As an elected official how will you work with the media to disseminate important information to the public?

Jackson: If elected, I will make myself available for Clerk’s Office-related interviews and I will provide the media with appropriate press releases and legal notices to provide timely and accurate information to the residents of Power County.

Sprague: I am very transparent and willing to work toward the dissemination of information thru the media. However, given the complexity of the position and mandates, it becomes difficult to find time to reach out in the midst of it all. I encourage any questions or visits to assist with the transparency and understanding of the complexity of the operations of the County. I thank you for your support and would be remiss if I did not expound on the fact that all the success of our office is due to the diligent and dedicated service of my team. Please be sure to recognize those serving the front lines of county government for their service.