By Gazette staff/League of Women Voters of the Stevens Point Area

PORTAGE COUNTY – Two will vie for the Democratic spot in the Aug. 11 partisan primary for the county clerk seat, in the only contested county race.

Incumbent Kayla Filen will face challenger, Tammy Naczek.

The League of Women Voters posed the following questions to the candidates:

Kayla Filen

What is your experience and what led you to run for Portage County Clerk?

I am the current Portage County Clerk and I am running because I am passionate about my job and I believe the people of Portage County deserve an experienced clerk to carry out the many statutory duties of the Office of the County Clerk.

Filen

I was appointed in January of 2020 as the Portage County Clerk after starting in the Clerk’s Office in November of 2019 to train with my predecessor Shirley Simonis. I was selected by a panel made up of the following local government officials: Wood County Clerk Trent Miner, Portage County Executive Chris Holman, Village of Plover Clerk Karen Swanson, Human Resources Director Laura Belanger, and County Board Chair Al Haga. My appointment was then confirmed by the Executive Operations Committee and the Portage County Board.

Prior to coming to Portage County, I served as the City of Appleton Deputy City Clerk and the Election Clerk. My time with the City of Appleton provided me several years of local government experience, particularly in election administration. As Election Clerk I was responsible for administering the election process, overseeing 15 polling locations, recruiting, training, and managing an average of 150 election inspectors. I maintained the City of Appleton WisVote database for around 35,000 registered voters, comparable to the 42,000 registered voters in Portage County.

As the Deputy City Clerk, I served as the records custodian maintaining the City’s records and assisting the City Clerk with fulfilling open records requests. I monitored and reconciled expenditures from the City Clerk budget, maintained the City Clerk webpage, created agendas and minutes – serving as an administrator for the Granicus meeting management system, created and published various required public notices, assisted the Clerk with issuing various municipal licenses, accepted claims filed against the City, conducted sealed bid openings, coordinated annexations, rezonings, street vacations, and various other City applications, and served as the Clerk in her absence.

While in Appleton, I completed the three-year University of Wisconsin – Green Bay Municipal Clerks Institute. I served on the Advisory Board during the three-year program. I am currently working toward my Certificate of Professional Development through the Wisconsin County Clerks Association.

Over the last six months I have served as the County Clerk carrying out the various statutory duties with enthusiasm and a strong attention to detail. Myself and my staff have brought energy and innovation to the Office of the County Clerk. I successfully led the County and the municipal clerks through the challenging April Election due to my previous experience, my knowledge of election laws, and my ability to adapt under pressure. I have developed a strong working relationship with the County Board and have run several public meetings both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. I assisted in the implementation of remote attendance to help protect staff, supervisors, and the public while remaining in compliance with open meetings law.

I am running for Portage County Clerk because I am a dedicated public servant with knowledge and experience and feel I am the most qualified candidate.

What issues do you see as challenges to the county and what unique skills will you bring to the office to help deal with those challenges?

There are three top issues I see as challenges for the county: COVID-19, budget, and diversity. Of course, these are not unique to Portage County, it is the reality facing counties across the State and across the Country.

COVID-19: The community looks to the County for direction and solutions during times of uncertainty. Managing the challenging environment caused by the COVID-19 public emergency has required leadership and perseverance. In the role of County Clerk, I provided leadership and exhibited perseverance as we navigated through the twists and turns of the April Election. Misinformation, questions of safety for both voters and election inspectors, and last-minute rule changes added to the confusion of an already difficult situation. As many offices and businesses closed to the public or all together, myself and my staff adjusted how we worked to keep the office open. In addition to my regular duties, I was there, around the clock, to answer the many questions from municipal clerks and voters, I coordinated the last-minute distribution of State-issued sanitation supplies and PPE to the 27 municipalities in Portage County, and was the County coordinator for the National Guard members that were activated to serve at the polls on Election Day.

As we move into the August and November Elections the County needs leaders that work to provide a safe environment for residents while also providing essential services. The County needs leaders who can overcome many challenges. I am one of those leaders. We do not know what the next four years may bring, but I am confident in my ability to persevere and lead through any obstacles we may face.

Budget: Each year, local governments struggle with budget preparation as we are asked to continuously do more with less. The effects of COVID-19 on the economy and local government budgets can already be seen and although we are not sure the exact impact this will have on our budgets, we do know that we will be dealing with the effects for several years to come. This will require fiscal responsibility, problem solving skills, and knowledge of the unique departmental needs. The County Clerk is responsible for the budget of the County Clerk’s Office including mail room processing, the County Board budget, and the election administration budget. I have responsibly maintained these budgets and have been working on solutions to make up for the election-related budget short falls caused by COVID-19. I am knowledgeable about the needs of each of the line items within the three budgets and how they impact our ability to conduct business.

Diversity: The County is currently discussing the structure of the Diversity Affairs and Inclusiveness Committee. It is a step in the right direction to create a more welcoming and safe community in Portage County. However, there is still work to be done before the Committee can begin. Although the County Clerk’s Office will not be directly involved in the Diversity Committee we will be there to provide information and direction as needed. In addition, due to the potential sensitive nature of the topic, conversations and work done related to the creation of the Committee will require professionalism and diplomacy. The County Clerk serves as the records custodian and as a resource for proper procedures as related to Portage County Code of Ordinances. Regularly, County staff and Supervisors will contact the County Clerk’s Office for information they need to complete a project, such as wording from previously adopted resolutions or past County Board proceedings. Other times we answer questions on proper procedures for conducting a meeting, creating agendas and minutes, or amending/creating an ordinance. As the discussions continue for the creation of the Diversity Committee, myself and my staff will be available as a resource for information and guidance. As with every aspect of the County Clerk’s Office, our work will be conducted professionally and with respect for differing views and experiences.

How do you see your relationship with municipal clerks throughout the county? What goals do you have that you would like to work toward together?

I have a strong relationship with the municipal clerks throughout Portage County. When I started, I immediately began developing relationships and communication with all the municipal clerks. I know how important their role is and how that relates to the County Clerk role. I knew right away that having that trust was vital to my success as an individual and our success in managing various local government duties that cross municipal and county levels. Early on, the municipal clerks learned of my background and quickly understood that I was there as a resource to support them. The April Election clearly highlighted my knowledge of election-related laws, my ability to get the job done, and my dedication to supporting them.

A main goal of mine is to upgrade the voting equipment for the entire County so we are all on the same voting platform and as a result can provide more secure elections. Currently, Portage County has a mixture of electronic tabulators and hand-count municipalities. We have two different types of electronic tabulators in the County. The plan would be to upgrade the hand-count municipalities and the 3 municipalities using an older model tabulator to the DS200. The DS200 tabulator is currently in use in 12 Portage County municipalities. A paper ballot is still used.When all municipalities are running on the same equipment, we can upgrade the software for all 27 municipalities to provide a more secure voting system for all Portage County voters. This is not an easy or inexpensive goal, but it is an important step toward more secure, accurate, and transparent elections. For this project the County Clerk and the Municipal Clerks would need to work together toward the common goal. I know that many of the smaller municipalities are unable to make such a costly upgrade so I would like the County to assist in this process. I recently submitted a Capital Improvement Plan to the Finance Director with the hope of making this a reality. I am also applying for election security funding through the Wisconsin Elections Commission’s HAVA Election Security Subgrant Program. Voting equipment is not typically an eligible expense but I plan to argue for the ability to use the funds towards the purchase of new equipment, as voting equipment is directly related to election security. If the funding is not approved for upgrading voting equipment, the funds will be used to secure other facets of elections.

Another common goal would be to educate Portage County voters on the tools available to them to help make voting easier and more accessible.

Tammy Naczek

What is your experience and what led you to run for Portage County Clerk?

During my career, I have always worked for state or county agencies.  I started my career working for the Family Health La Clinica WIC Program out of Wild Rose which served people throughout Waushara, Green Lake, Adams, and Marquette counties, then moved to the Department of Transportation – Division of Highways at the Wisconsin Rapids location.  For more than 22 years, I held multiple positions at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. My last position was as a Purchasing Agent and Budget Manager for the College of Natural Resources and Department of Biology. In 2019, I worked as a limited-term employee for the Portage County Treasurer’s Office.

Naczek

I met Shirley Simonis while employed with the Portage County Treasurer’s office and had the opportunity to ask her and the Deputy Clerk what their duties entailed.  All my experience working with state statutes and other government agencies, align with these duties. Also, the Portage County Clerk position will allow me to continue my career serving the public on a larger scale.

What issues do you see as challenges to the county and what unique skills will you bring to the office to help deal with those challenges?

I think the biggest challenge to Portage County in the upcoming years will be a declining budget. Portage County currently has a population of roughly 71,000 individuals.  Families are becoming smaller and smaller towns are decreasing in population. This has a profound affect on taxes and income from licensing.  At the same time, county expenses are on the rise so this gap has to be closed and some difficult choices need to be made.

We also face an unprecedented challenge with the recent COVID-19 pandemic.  We need to adjust our sector—perhaps permanently—to allow citizens to have access to our services and receive assistance remotely.  This means a long-term investment in new technologies as well as staff training on how to use these new technologies to continue to expand customer service.

As purchasing agent and budget manager for UW-Stevens Point (UWSP), I saw a major decrease in enrollment and State funding.  As budgets shrunk, costs increased. My negotiating skills allowed me obtain lower contract pricing while maintaining effective communications with my internal and external customers.

How do you see your relationship with municipal clerks throughout the county? What goals do you have that you would like to work toward together?

The County Clerk is the first-line person for the municipal clerks, especially when it comes to ballots for elections, dog licensing, and ordinances.  The function of the County Clerk is to give municipal clerks direction when policies and procedures change or are updated them and how these impact their responsibilities.

One of my goals is to implement a uniform process on how all municipal clerks communicate and manage these procedures.  This would enhance all positions by eliminating duplicate tasks and optimizing efficiency.

Other county races

Also on the ballot are Incumbent Pamela Przybelsi, county treasurer; Incumbent Cynthia Wisinski, register of deeds; and Incumbent Thomas Trzinski, county surveyor.