Meet the Candidate: Clerk of Superior Court
Editor’s Note: Arizona’s primary election is Aug. 2. There are several candidates running for office, including Lynn Fazz, who is running for Clerk of Superior Court. These stories are part of an ongoing Yuma Sun series called “Meet the Candidates.”
Age: 59
Office running for: Clerk of Superior Court, incumbent
Political experience: i have been the Clerk of Court for almost 12 years. Being an elected Clerk requires the ability to converse, compromise, articulate, negotiate, brainstorm and communicate effectively with other administrative officials, judges, attorneys, other agencies, and the public. This position is a bipartisan position and my beliefs on political issues are not, and cannot factor into running this office effectively. i have to serve the public and uphold the laws and statutes of the office whether i agree with them or not. What is imperative is having the legal background, knowing the intricacies of the legal system, the applicable statutes, current legislative changes and the extreme complexities of the position.
What is your background? What in your past experiences helps qualify you for this seat?
i came to Yuma, just out of college in 1984. i immediately began my career in local law enforcement and have worked in many different legal capacities prior to my running for Clerk in 2010. While my 38 years of work experience began at the local Police department, i moved on to u.S. Customs, working administratively at the Southwest Border alliance, and then with the aZ department of Public Safety, again in an administrative capacity, for Western region narcotics which covered Yuma, la Paz, mohave and Pinal Counties. i spent six years as a courtroom clerk at Superior Court until i successfully ran for Clerk of Court in 2010. Those experiences gave me a very good grasp of the tasks involved and a solid working knowledge of the office. Having been the elected Clerk for the last 12 years, i cannot imagine the learning curve for a candidate with no legal background. Such a candidate would be a burden on the staff and the learning curve would be steep and arduous.
Why are you running for this office?
i have accomplished many great things in my 12 years as Clerk of Court and i have several large projects in the works that need to be completed, hopefully without a change in management. it is in the best interest of the employees as well as the projects, all of which are complex, that i see these projects to completion. during my tenure the Clerk’s Office has come into the digital world by the facilitation of electronic filing in all case types, streamlining jury processes, implementing digital protective orders, and our most current project of implementing a system for filing digital evidence. We now have ways to access our systems online that were not available to the public in the past. We are currently in the process of integrating the Juvenile Court clerks into our staff which has been something i swore i would accomplish from day one. i’m quite proud of these accomplishments and of the many employees involved in making them happen.
What do you think is the biggest challenge right now facing Yumans?
Certainly inflation is hitting our citizens hard right now with prices of everything going sky high. Court fees may seem like a scary addition to these costs. all fees and fines assessed by the Court are set in statute or ordered by the Court for the Clerk’s Office to collect. The public may not be aware that the majority of fines and fees are broken into many different funds after collection. Fees and fines go toward funding all kinds of resources which make the courts more accessible and functional to the public. The Clerk’s Office is not a “for profit” entity. Equal access to justice is a priority and no one is ever turned away for inability to afford a fee. The Court has resources available to assist those with financial hardship. i have worked hard to satisfy our statutory requirements while strictly staying within the boundaries of the budget we are afforded by the State and the County Board of Supervisors.
One of my opponents has suggested that “tele-work” should be an option for our employees. Private practices and private businesses may be able to “tele-work” but that is not an option for the Clerk’s Office. Statute dictates that we be open and available, in person, monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm. Courtroom clerks have to be present for each and every hearing; counter clerks have to be present to open cases and take fees; jury personnel have to be present to check in jurors; and these are just a few of the in-person services the Clerk’s Office is required to supply.
What would you do, if elected, to help change that?
as previously stated, we do everything we can to make the court and equal access to justice accessible to all.
Holding elected office requires a significant time commitment for meetings, as well as “homework” prior to meetings to be prepared. How will this fit in with your other commitments?
The job of being the Clerk of Court is a 24/7 position. if i’m not at the office, i’m on my phone, travelling to meetings, on zoom calls, getting legislative updates, answering emails and phone calls, doing research, fielding complaints and fixing issues as they arise. i get called at night, on weekends and whenever i’m needed. The “homework” is knowing the job, the language, being familiar with the legal system and how a case gets from initiation to conclusion. it’s knowing the correct statutory procedures for every single case type and document we handle from criminal, civil, probate, domestic, mental health, guardianship and adoption and how to process a marriage license application or a passport. it’s knowing the rules and requirements to effectively be the Probate registrar and the Jury Commissioner for the entire county. it’s knowing what all 40 employees have to know along with their specific duties. it’s being able to navigate a judges request when it’s out of the ordinary or accommodating a customer who is new to the legal system. it’s taking every complaint and situation and making it work. it’s dealing with personnel, payroll, budget, purchasing, inventory and a hundred others details from postage to file folders. i have been blessed to be in this position, i have amazing employees and they deserve a Clerk who knows the intricacies of the job.
What is your approach to handling controversial and complicated issues?
most of the controversial and/or complicated issues tend to be in-house, meaning issues within the courthouse. almost 99% of the time, issues are discussed and worked out to everyone’s satisfaction. i don’t pretend to be an expert; i am not perfect, but being outspoken and standing up for my employees is not something i have ever be ashamed of. i have a job to do and the employees at the Clerk’s Office are hardworking and dedicated. my job is to train them, back them, and stand up for them.