LEADERSHIP AND INNOVATION

In January, 1997, when Cindy Carpenter took office, the internal departments of the Clerk of Courts office were segregated and operated with varying sets of policies, procedures, and pay scales. The office had been written up numerous times by the State Auditor for the lack of internal controls and financial management. These are no longer issues of concern because many positive changes have been made in the past decade.

Cindy has negotiated four AFSCME collective bargaining unit contracts and instituted a corresponding pay scale for non-union employees. A salary freeze has been implemented for both classes of employees during the current budget crisis. She believes that managing employees through job descriptions, performance standards, and performance reviews leads to a better workforce.

Cindy Carpenter has implemented software programs to manage juries, accounts receivable, process of service, and felony disposition reporting. She has received statewide and national recognition for technological innovation from the FBI, the Ohio Supreme Court, the Ohio Judicial Conference, GOVTECH magazine, Civic.com magazine, and Courthouse Ohio. In 2005, at the National Digital Government conference, the Butler County Clerk of Courts office was recognized in the “Government to Citizen” category.

The participation of Cindy’s office extends far beyond Butler County to the highest state levels. This willingness to collaborate has guaranteed Butler County’s place at the table in the development of many important statewide projects. Cindy believes that the three most important achievements of her administration to date are:

1. Accounting for $546,758,991 dollars in revenue (as of 7/1/09).
2. Adoption of privacy rules by the Ohio Supreme Court, which prohibits private information from being filed in the public court record.
3. Integrating Butler County’s Common Pleas, Municipal, and Area Court’s data bases into the Justice Web, which is a gateway to court records from dozens of counties for access by law enforcement.

Butler County has been well served by Cindy Carpenter’s commitment to management, innovation and accountability.