Make transition for clerk offices work

Among the casualties of the Democratic sweep at the Bexar County courthouse were the longtime district and county clerks.

Collectively, District Clerk Donna Kay McKinney and County Clerk Gerry Rickhoff have more than 32 years of institutional memory about the record keeping in Bexar County. McKinney has only been in office for eight years but spent decades employed in different departments and various courts. We wish the best going forward to District Clerkelect Mary Angie Garcia, who worked in the department from 1997 to 2012, and County Clerk-elect Lucy Adame-Clark, an employee of the sheriff’s office. They have just become heads of two major county departments that together employ close to 259 people and have combined budgets of close to $20 million.

The work of these offices affect every taxpayer in the county.

The county clerk’s office issues marriage licenses and records marriages, maintains records on property in the county and is the keeper of the records for all county and probate courts. The district clerk handles all lawsuits filed and maintains the records for criminal and criminal courts.

With every new job comes a learning curve. We urge the new and old administrations to set aside their political differences and seek common ground to allow for a smooth transition in the best interest of the general public.