AREAS OF CONCERN 9: MONITORING PROGRAM TO KEEP CASES FROM BEING ILLEGALLY REMOVED FROM THE OFFICE

One of the 11 Areas of Concern that were brought up in the Fall 2008 campaign for the Erie County Clerk of Courts was the fact that there is no monitoring system in place to keep cases from being illegally removed from the office. This simply is a case of putting in place a system similar to what public libraries, stores, or movie rental places have in place to keep books, movies, or unpaid store merchandise from leaving the premises without first proper checking out and / or paying for said goods.

There have been numerous times over the years where there have been files that have come up missing. Most of the time (but not all of the time) the files have been found either in the Judge’s office, or Mrs. Johnson’s home (Tsk, Tsk, Barbara, you know those files are suppose to stay in the Court House). I have heard over the years that there were a few files that (last I heard) were never found. Right now, it is very easy to walk into that office, find the file that one wants, slip it into their brief case and walk out with no one having any knowledge to what just happened. Not only is it bad policy to let files out of that office, it is against the law; with the exception of Judges who are allowed to have them in their office.

If a monitoring system was put in place, this would never be a problem again; even the Judges offices would have to “sign out” files. But then why would you expect our “NOTHING” clerk to do anything about this problem? After all, over the past 20 years, she has done “NOTHING” about everything.

She either has no clue as to what to do, or where to begin, or she is just completely overwhelmed by how bad that office has gotten over the past 20 years that she has been in charge, and she really doesn’t know where to start or how to begin cleaning up her own mess.

Too bad, and so sad; especially since OUR tax money is paying her to do “NOTHING” about everything.

To you the voter I ask: Does this look like she is doing the job that she was elected by YOU THE VOTERS AND TAX PAYERS of Erie County to do?



Next week’s article will be about another possible devastating blow to that office. Stay tuned folks; it just keeps getting worse and worse.