Smith announces candidacy for SFC Circuit Clerk seat
Alan T. Smith is announcing today his candidacy to become St. Francis County Circuit Clerk and Ex-Officio Recorder. Smith is an active member of the Democratic party of SFC and will run as a Democrat.
Bette S. Green, the current circuit clerk and ex-officio recorder, has announced her retirement after her current term ends in December. Green has spent nearly 50 years with the office, serving more than 30 of those years as circuit clerk.
Smith, 44, is a native of Albany, Ga. A 1995 graduate of Albany High School, Smith attended Darton State College.
Smith moved to Forrest City in 2000 and worked for Forrest City Grocery Company. In 2002, he began a 14-year career as a reporter and photographer for the Forrest City Times-Herald. During his time with the newspaper, Smith won 10 individual first-place state awards for his writing and photography.
Smith joined the circuit clerk’s office in early 2016, becoming the criminal case coordinator and media liaison. He was promoted by Green to chief deputy circuit clerk, the office’s supervisor, at the beginning of 2021.
According to Smith, the public may not realize the wide variety of responsibilities of the circuit clerk’s office.
“Throughout my career at the newspaper, I was in the circuit clerk’s office nearly every morning,” said Smith. “But, I still didn’t understand how much they did until I started working here. We curate copies of land records dating back to the 1800s. We are custodians of decades of
court records, including divorce decrees. We schedule the use of the courtrooms and record Notary Public paperwork. That’s just a small part of what we do.”
As criminal case coordinator, his primary responsibilities include maintaining an active criminal case load of nearly 1,000 cases and preparing those cases for criminal court. Smith is tasked with providing vital documentation from cases to other agencies, such as sentencing orders to the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
Smith also assists in recording land records; starting civil, domestic and juvenile cases within the state’s Contexte system; conducting jury orientations and notifications; holding commissioner sales ordered by the court; fulfilling records requests and collecting court-ordered child support payments.
“We are asked to do a variety of things every day, and we’re always up to the task,” Smith commented. “Our office has a wonderful staff. Mrs. Green trusting me to help lead my coworkers as chief deputy has been one of the best moments of my professional life.”
Smith said he is dedicated to learning new skills to help improve the circuit clerk’s office. In 2020, he graduated from a threeyear Certified Court Manager program. The National Center for State Courts’ Institute for Court Management provides the program through the Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts. Most recently, Smith attended virtual seminars on advanced digital land recording, efiling and strategies in human resources.
“Being a certified court manager makes me uniquely qualified to be your next circuit clerk,” said Smith. “The court system is unlike any other field. The court manager program helps you understand how things like budgets and project planning are handled differently than other places of business. The course teaches how to improve workflow and to use internal reports to track court performance. It helps you identify short-term and long-term goals that can make services for the public better. We’ve implemented a few things I learned over the past several years and we’ve had good results. My training and experience will continue to work for the people of our county if you choose to elect me.” In his six years as a deputy clerk, Smith has been instrumental in bringing nearly $50,000 in Association of Arkansas
Counties grant funds at no cost to the county. Those funds have been applied towards improving digital access to county records.
“Our digital land records program, Avid, was purchased with a grant I helped write in 2018,” Smith commented. “While we do accept paper deeds, the program makes us an e-recording county. The grant I helped secure in 2020 helped us prepare the office for the state-mandated EFlex system. We started EFlex Lite this year and we will be a full EFlex county in 2023. The system provides e-filing in our court cases. If elected, I will strive to make the circuit clerk’s office as efficient as possible while continuing to provide the helpfulness we are known for.”
Above all, Smith credits the mentoring of Green as inspiring him to run for circuit clerk.
“Many of the people we see in person or speak with on the phone are having one of the worst days of their lives,” said Smith. “Our work affects people’s lives and must be taken seriously. Having a court case usually is not fun. Some people we see are already frustrated or angry by the time they get to us. Mrs. Green has taught us many things. Teaching us by example to treat everyone with respect, professionalism and to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes is probably the most important lesson she’s given us.
“I cannot be Mrs. Green, but I will continue to operate this office with compassion and understanding as she always has,” said Smith.
Smith asks every SFC resident for their vote as the county’s next circuit clerk.
“I am respectfully and humbly asking for your vote and support,” added Smith. “I have served the people of St. Francis County as a deputy circuit clerk for nearly six years and as a reporter covering this county for 14 years. I would be honored to continue my public service as your next circuit clerk.”
Smith’s wife of 20 years, Brandi, is a Forrest City native. She is a graduate of Calvary Christian High School and an optometric assistant at Lifetime Vision Center. The couple has made their home in this area for the last two decades.
Follow Smith’s campaign on Facebook at Alan T. Smith for Circuit Clerk.