Counting on the county clerk

Businesses that are large, with many units, usually have a chief executive officer. In Alpine County's government, the person closest to a chief executive officer is Alpine County Clerk Barbara Howard. Elected unopposed in the June 2006 primary, she began her four-year term in January 2007, bringing to the office nine years experience as assistant to her predecessor, Barbara Jones.

Her responsibilities seem overwhelming; yet, in her quiet, efficient way she is clearly a "can do" person, overseeing the issuing of marriage licenses, passports, filing fictitious business statements and insurance surety bonds for businesses and determining who is their authorized representative. She also issues permits for bingo.

Howard also serves as clerk for the Board of Supervisors and its agenda and minutes and attends to board members' correspondence. The board also sits as the board of equalization and the local transportation agency, and on occasion, as the water agency, each of which, requires additional work for her office.

As records manager, she oversees county records and decides which documents to retain, archive, put on microfilm, or shred. Her goal is to set up a public record monitoring system that will provide easy access to county records, correspondence, marriages and other information.

Election time calls for a major undertaking. The Alpine County Clerk is responsible for voter registration, compiling a list of registered voters and preparing the mail ballots. Because of Alpine County's small population it is permitted to use voting by mail. She must check that the optical scanning machine, provided by Premier Election Solutions that counts the ballots, is working properly and recruit persons for election night to prepare the ballots for the device. She monitors the counting and, when it's completed, she selects one precinct at random and has its ballots counted by hand. In her experience there has never been a discrepancy with the machine count.

Howard said she is proud of how open the process is, as citizens, and often candidates, watch the counting in the Board of Supervisor's chamber. She noted that in other counties observers watch the counting on a television screen in an adjacent room. When asked her opinion on voting by mail versus in the polling booth, that used to be the case, she replied that she favored the mail ballot because it is more private and is easier for the disabled. Moreover, she added, the turnout is greater. Howard said that the county pays the return postage, which is not true for other counties.

Howard said that the most rewarding part of her work was helping people obtain the information they need; the negative aspect is the lack of time in the day; yet, she concluded, each activity has its challenges and rewards.

Howard grew up in Tahoe City but she and her husband Garry have lived in Markleeville for 21 years. Garry retired in 2004 after 30 years with the California State Park system, including 18 years at Grover Hot Springs.

The Alpine County Clerk's office is the face of the county and residents and visitors receive a warm reception from the county's "C.E.O." and her staff.