12 will face off in primary for county clerk

Adrienne Packer

Thursday, Aug. 27, 1998 | 11:39 a.m.

After working for Clark County for a half-century and serving as county clerk for 32 years, Loretta Bowman is retiring.

Bowman, a native of Southern Nevada, was credited with running an efficient, productive division. Now she will pass the duties to one of 13 candidates running for county clerk.

The following people are vying for the job:

* Barbara Boggs said if she is elected, she will streamline and make necessary changes in the clerk's office. She will update computer systems to keep up with growth and offer the best service to the public.

Boggs has been an assistant operations manager in banking, a personnel assistant, an executive assistant and she is a retired senate employee. Boggs has lived in Las Vegas for 30 years.

* Sam Bledsoe, 47, said he plans to improve customer service and update technology to keep up with growth in Clark County.

Bledsoe, a Republican who lost the race for county clerk in 1994, is the director of Desert Springs Ministries. He is a graduate of Baptist Bible College.

* Patrick O'Neill, 70, said he too would like to make the clerk's office more "customer friendly." O'Neill, a Libertarian, has run for state senate, state assembly and sheriff, but has never been elected.

* Glade Covington, 51, has 20 years experience in senior management and as a small-business owner, which he says will make him more responsive to the public's needs.

Covington, a Republican, said he plans to streamline the clerk's 21 divisions into eight and establish a clerk's pool that will place deputy clerks where the needs of the public are most urgent.

Also, he said he would adjust the clerk's schedule to accommodate -- within reason -- the public's request for extended hours.

* Delwin Potter, 56, wants to increase the county clerk's office hours, modernize office equipment and improve service with same-day copies.

The Democratic candidate has 34 years of experience in law and was Judge Gerard Bongiovanni's clerk for five years. He is also a founding member of the Nevada Judge's Association.

Potter was born in Boulder City and has been married for 33 years.

* Art Lane, 47, plans to assign a Spanish-speaking clerk at the legal counter and offer equal opportunity to minorities.

Lane, a Democrat, said he would like to update the computer system and offer better service to customers, especially elderly people. Lane said he has experience working in the clerk's office. He was the first male to be employed as a District Court clerk.

Lane holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and has more than 10 years of legal experience.

* Jane Wisdom, 66, is a public information specialist in the Clark County recorder's office. She has served two terms as a state assemblywoman and was appointed by the governor to the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board.

Wisdom said she would like to install a computer system that would provide automatic filing and scheduling of documents. She also plans to improve customer service and redesign the marriage certificate.

The Democratic candidate said her experience will allow her to push new laws that will help the office function more efficiently.

* Dennis Hetherington, 57, hopes to combine his 20 years of experience in management with modern technology to turn the clerk's office into a user-friendly division with a high-trained, efficient staff.

Hetherington, a Republican, has never before run for office. The executive director of Clark County Pro Bono Projects has acted on a domestic violence task force and is the past president of the Better Business Bureau.

Hetherington earned a degree in journalism and political science from the University of Nebraska.

* Tami Bass, 36, said she would like to see a completely automated clerk's office that has flexible hours. She plans to make it accessible from home and office computers.

Bass, a Republican, emphasized that she would have an open door policy and the office would be user-friendly. Bass attended Tennessee State University and the University of San Diego School of Law.

She is a member of the Active Republican Women and the Southern Nevada Youth Foundation, where she is a youth motivational lecturer.

* Byron Goynes, 38, wants to install a state-of-the art computer system and put an emphasis on training employees.

The Democratic candidate said he would like to expedite certain services, for example, providing documents within one business day. He also supports longer business hours and hopes to provide each employee with a computer.

Goynes want to adjust employee positions and salaries to competitive levels and will agree to meet with personnel at any time. Goynes has a business administration degree from Prairie View A&M University of Texas.

* Paul Holder, 55, said he would like to reform the criminal justice system and would support a sales tax increase for the water project.

The Democrat ran for county clerk in 1982 and for county commissioner in 1984. Holder is a sales broker and has been a delegate to the county's Democratic convention four times.

* Shirley Parraguirre, 58, wants to make the county clerk's office one of the leading agencies for employment opportunities and advancements.

Parraguirre, a Democrat, has 22 years experience working for private law firms and 17 years working for district court judges. She wants to make the clerk's office more efficient to save taxpayers' dollars.

Parraguirre said what sets her apart from her opponents is her knowledge of statutes, rules and procedures.

* Mary Mosley, 49, the assistant county clerk, would focus on improving customer service and making the courts accessible through the Internet.

Mosley has worked in the clerk's office for 25 years and fully understands the duties and responsibilities of the clerk. She plans to provide equipment that would allow electronic filing and document imaging while maintaining the integrity of the record.

She is a member of the National Association of Court Managers, the National Association of State Courts and the Clark County Labor Management team.