Between the time she spends working in Pontiac and pushing for legislation in Lansing, she’s probably the hardest working elected official in Oakland County politics.
But county Clerk Ruth Johnson took a break from her busy schedule Tuesday to chat with the Rotary Club of Oxford about everything from technology to pending legislation.
Since she was elected clerk in 2004, Johnson’s made it her mission to make her department more user-friendly and efficient for county residents.
As a result, most things can now be done by visiting the clerk’s website www.oakgov.com/clerkrod. Everything from ordering copies of public records to obtaining voter registration forms and absentee ballot applications can be done with a few clicks of a mouse.
Johnson said this way people who like to do things on-line have more options, while people who still need or want to come to the clerk’s office will stand in shorter lines.
For those who don’t want to go on-line or travel to Pontiac, the county clerk is now coming to them via a mobile office that consists of three staff members, two laptop computers and a small printer.
The mobile office travels to communities across the county, offering on-the-spot copies of birth, death, marriage, legal and property records.
‘We’re making our rounds, so people don’t have to come to us,? Johnson said. ‘We want to come to you because it’s a long drive to Pontiac and the parking’s not great.?
Johnson said the mobile office has ‘been very, very successful? thus far.
Locally, the mobile clerk’s office will be at the Orion Township Public Library (825 Joslyn Rd.) on Thursday, Feb. 25 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
‘We’re trying to reach out to as many people as we can,? she said.
On the legislative front, Johnson is continuing to lobby for the passage of state House Bill 5279, which would allow clerks to e-mail blank absentee ballots to troops serving overseas to reduce mailing delays.
Military personnel would then print the ballot, fill it out and send it home using traditional mail. Nearly 30 states already allow the process. Michigan is not one of them ? at least not yet.
According to Johnson, this legislation is needed because under the current system, ‘thousands? of absentee ballots sent overseas to servicemen and women don’t come back in time for their votes to count.
‘It’s shameful,? she said.
The bill passed the state House and is now pending in the Senate.
Johnson’s also pushing hard for legislation that would restore the ability of a county’s Register of Deeds to calculate the redemption (or ‘payoff?) amounts for homeowners who have lost their homes to foreclosure, but wish to buy them back.
Some unscrupulous banks and other parties with a financial stake in these situations won’t provide this necessary information to homeowners and won’t return their phone calls. In essence, they’re abusing the system and basically stealing homes from their cash-strapped former owners.
‘Don’t let people trick people out of their homes,? Johnson said. ‘Don’t let them cheat them.?
Johnson indicated it’s going to take a lot of hard work to convince state legislators to return this power to the county Register of Deeds, which is a neutral, third party with no financial interest in these situations.
But as usual, she’s up to the task.
‘I think we’re going to be able to get (this legislation) through, but we do have people lobbying against us and I don’t have a lobbyist, so I spend a lot of time ? more than I’d like to ? in Lansing trying to push that through,? she said. but wish to buy them back.
Some unscrupulous banks and other parties with a financial stake in these situations won’t provide this necessary information to homeowners and won’t return their phone calls.
In essence, they’re abusing the system and trying to basically steal these homes from their cash-strapped former owners.
‘Don’t let people trick people out of their homes,? Johnson said. ‘Don’t let them cheat them.?
Johnson indicated it’s going to take a lot of hard work to convince state legislators to return this power the county Register of Deeds, which is a neutral, third-party with no financial interest in these situations.
But as usual, she’s up to the task.
‘I think we’re going to be able to get (the legislation) through, but we do have people lobbying against us and I don’t have a lobbyist, so I spend a lot of time, more than I’d like to, in Lansing trying to push that through,? she said. ‘But we have made huge progress.?