Two veteran candidates with extensive government experience are running for St. Charles Parish clerk of court in the Oct. 24 election.
Incumbent Lance Marino was elected District 6 councilman in 2000 and served eight years, then was elected in 2004 as parishwide councilman at-large Division A. In 2011, Marino was elected clerk of court where he serves today.
“As clerk of court, I’m proud to say I’ve done all I promised four years ago, modernizing the office, bringing it into the 21st century,” Marino said of his achievements in government. “We now have a fully functioning website, email for all staff members, new computers, high speed Internet and electronic access to public records. There is more work to be done. Digitizing historical records for posterity is an ongoing process and voters will see on this election night, as chief election officer, that all returns will be posted online and available on TV very promptly.”
As a councilman, Marino said he responded to his constituents and did everything possible to serve the public.
For Sonny Savoie, public service is equally important to him.H
aving served 29 years on the St. Charles Parish School Board, Savoie said he has helped the school system’s annual budget grow from $60 million to $140 million. He previously served on the parish’s West Bank Water Board for six years, as well as numerous nonprofits with budgets ranging from $13 million to $25 million.
He counts serving as president of national organizations and state organizations among his major government achievements, as well as his near 29-year service on the school board.“I sit on the largest child advocate organization in the country as a board member,” Savoie said.
He said he sits on the board for professional teaching standards, Louisiana Board of Regents, as well as serves as president of the Paradis Fire Department and helped grow membership from five to 75. He also sat on the Louisiana Commission of Intergovernmental Relations in the early 1990s.”
Asked to identify the No. 1 concern for the clerk of court’s office, Marino said it is protecting the official records of the parish and making sure the public has access to them, which is mandated by law.
Savoie said it is the office’s financial position, citing concerns about over spending and about a projected 2016 fund balance of $72,000.
In overall concerns for the office, Marino said his focus is on ensuring good personal service to the public with a competent and well-trained staff. He also strives to provide office staff with all electronic resources needed to carry out their jobs.
Savoie again said office finances are a concern in light of a recent state Legislative Auditor’s report that cited the office accounts for the personal use of office credit cards. He said it was related to what he called “a call to duty” where public and private matters are kept separate and, to address these concerns, he would hire a finance director to ensure these matters are handled appropriately.
Marino said he addressed those concerns and satisfied the audit issues.
Asked why each candidate was the best candidate for clerk of court, Marino said he had more experience in the office and government overall.
“Prior, not only did I have government experience, but I had experience in the field with a few years running a court-run service serving lawyers and filing their papers at clerks’ offices across the region, which is experience that applies to this field,” he said.
Marino has become a certified clerk, having taken courses with the Louisiana Clerks of Court Association (LCCA) in his first term in office.
“I’m a state-certified clerk and my opponent is not,” he said. “This is optional, but I saw it as very necessary to do the best job I possibly could. I’ve enjoyed serving the public for most of my adult life and I do like using my elected position to help people and look forward to continuing that tradition.”
Savoie said he was the better candidate because he has more national government experience, which he has achieved throughout his career.
“I’ve always tried to be a public servant,” he said. “It’s not about me, but how the office should perform. I think the clerk of court office is the second most important office in government in this parish with the parish president being No. 1. Because all records from the sheriff, parish president, assessor, district attorney all come through the clerk’s office. I think the clerk should be able to prepare the dockets for the judges so to make it a smoother transition. I believe this should be the responsibility of the clerk, and I believe I could do this if elected.”
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