Interview Time: 12:35-1:15PM Gary Clemens, Clerk of the Circuit Court Gary has lived in Loudoun County for 49 years, first residing in Sterling during his infant and toddler years. He resided in Leesburg briefly while the family home in Hamilton was being constructed. He was raised by John and the late Shirley Clemens in the small town of Hamilton where he resided for 23 years. After graduating from Loudoun Valley High School in Purcellville, Gary attended James Madison University. Returning to Western Loudoun following his graduation from JMU, Gary started a career as a paralegal with a law firm in Washington, D.C. He started coaching youth sports in Western Loudoun a few months after starting his first job. In 1991, Gary and Maria were married and settled in a relatively new development in Loudoun County called Ashburn Village. They started their family in Ashburn Village as their first son Zachary was born at the original Loudoun Hospital location in Leesburg. Gary and Maria became very active in the Ashburn Village community and were blessed to make many wonderful friends as the Ashburn community began to grow. Gary began working as a deputy clerk in the Office of the Clerk of the Fairfax County Circuit Court in 1993 where he managed the largest circuit court clerk’s operation in Virginia. Gary and Maria were blessed with their second son, Nathaniel, who was also born at the original Loudoun Hospital in Leesburg. During his career in the circuit court clerk’s office in Fairfax County, he attended graduate school at George Mason University and earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. With deep roots in Loudoun County, Gary always yearned to work in his home county and that opportunity came in 1996 as he was hired by the Loudoun County Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney as an investigator. Subsequently, his job title changed to Case Manager and Gary assisted attorneys with the preparation of their cases for trial in the circuit court. During his tenure in this Loudoun office, Gary and Maria’s third son, Joel, was born in the new Loudoun Hospital located in Lansdowne. Gary and Maria always remained active various community activities and community organizations, especially with youth activities and school activities. Gary served as a youth coach in Eastern Loudoun in various sports leagues for many years. He and Maria actively volunteered with parent-teacher organizations and the Broad Run High School Booster club. Gary taught Sunday School classes at Hamilton Baptist Church for children, youth and college students for many years. He was appointed as the Broad Run District representative to the Advisory Commission on Youth in Loudoun County. Gary continues to support programs that benefit the youth in our communities as he visits local schools to provide information about the court system and local government. He has actively facilitated mock trial programs at several local high schools as part of Ethics Day programs. Gary started a volunteer intern program in the clerk’s office for college students who reside in Loudoun County several years ago and many local college students have participated in this program. Gary and Maria have resided in the Ashburn area for the past 24 years. Their sons, Zachary, Nathaniel and Joel have all grown up in the Ashburn community. The family attends St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Ashburn where Maria and Gary serve as lector and commentator. Gary’s professional career has always involved the courts and courts administration. DULLES AREA REALTORS® POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (DARPAC) 2015 CLERK OF THE COURT CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE NAME: Gary M. Clemens Campaign Name: Friends of Gary Clemens CAMPAIGN ADDRESS: P.O. Box 495, Leesburg, Virginia 20178 EMAIL: [email protected] PHONE (703) 729-4947 1. Why are you seeking election/re-election? There are numerous reasons why I am seeking re-election as clerk of the circuit court in Loudoun County but allow me to focus on four primary reasons. I am passionate about my service to the citizens of Loudoun County and there’s more I can do to serve the citizens for one more term of office. Loudoun County has been my home for my entire life and I love this county. It is an honor to serve Loudoun County and her residents each and every day. I believe my passion is evident as I have made significant improvements in customer service in the clerk’s office for the past 15 ½ years. There is more work to be done to continue building on the numerous improvements I have made with respect to technology enhancements, new customer service programs, and the introduction of new technology programs in the courtrooms. Loudoun County needs the right person to lead the clerk’s office in the future to achieve these objectives and I am the only candidate who has the vision, the proven leadership and the experience to effectively and prudently achieve these objectives. There has been considerable judicial turnover in the circuit court over the past two years as Judge James H. Chamblin and Judge Thomas D. Horne retired from the circuit court. The General Assembly appointed a fourth judicial position to the 20th Judicial Circuit, resulting in the allocation of a new judge position to the Loudoun County Circuit Court. As a result of the appointment of two new judges within the past 2 years and the appointment of a new judge on July 1, 2015, the circuit court is experiencing extensive changes with new judges and new judicial programs. Stability in the clerk’s office is critical in light of these major changes in the court and this is not the time for a change in leadership in the clerk’s office. Loudoun County is embarking on a very significant capital building project related to the Courts Expansion Program for the Loudoun County courts. The County is relying on my experience as clerk of the circuit court to assist them with the planning and strategy for this major project. With 15 ½ years of experience as the Clerk of the Circuit Court, I can offer guidance and real-life experiences to assist the County with all phases of the Courts Expansion Program to ensure a more successful capital project than the County experienced in 1997 with the original courts expansion project. My partnerships and relationships with the other court and public safety agencies will contribute to the success of the current planning, coordination and collaboration that will be essential for a successful capital project for the courts. 1 2. What existing problems do you see within the Clerk’s Office and what would you recommend to resolve them? Overall, the clerk’s office is very effective in the delivery of services as we are fulfilling the mission of serving all citizens faithfully and impartially. My office frequently receives very favorable customer feedback as we deploy a customer survey system to ensure we are fulfilling our mission. The Loudoun County Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court is recognized by other clerks of circuit court as a highly effective organization which is one reason that my fellow clerks elected me to serve as president of the Virginia Court Clerks’ Association and I have been appointed to serve in numerous leadership positions since 2002, including chairman of the public relations committee, the legislative committee, the education committee and the technology committee. Every organization experiences challenges and the clerk’s office is no exception. However, I view challenges as opportunities to expand the services I provide to our citizens. Here are a few examples of some challenges and what I have done and/or doing to make these challenges into opportunities. One challenge is to reduce the local tax burden for the costs to run the Clerk’s Office. The Commonwealth of Virginia has neglected to provide sufficient funding for the clerk’s office for many years, resulting in Loudoun County having to fund more of my office operations. In fact, Loudoun County provides 70% of the funding for my office while the mandates for the services I provide are found in the Code of Virginia, not County ordinance. I have worked hard for 15 ½ years to pursue more state funding or other alternatives for funding to reduce the burden on the taxpayers in Loudoun County. I have been successful in acquiring more state grant funding to finance technology programs so I have not had to request any funds from the Board of Supervisors for technology improvements and enhancements. I have also used remote access subscription fees that I charge to clients who review digital deeds and land records to cover the costs for maintenance and upgrades to our current technology systems so I do not have to request local funding for this purpose. While the challenge to reduce local funding continues, I am confident that I will continue to do my part to reduce the local tax burden on Loudoun’s citizens. Another significant challenge is the increasing caseload for civil court cases in Loudoun County. While the caseload has surged over the past few years, I have avoided additional expenditures typically associated with additional personnel costs by deploying cost-effective digital technologies. I have converted all of the pending court files to digital images which allows attorneys and litigants to more conveniently review public court case information. Additionally, using digital technologies for court cases makes my deputy clerks more efficient. By using these digital technologies, I have met the challenge of increasing caseload. However, the caseload continues to rise as the County’s population continues to rise. Loudoun County needs an experienced clerk to continue to lead in the future to properly manage operations effectively while caseload continues to rise.