Three vie for Chelan County Clerk seat

The post pays about $102,725 a year.

Morrison was first elected in 2010 in an uncontested race and had no challenger in the next two elections. Siri Woods, Morrison's predecessor, stepped down in 2010 after a 33-year-run.

Now, three hopefuls are facing off in the Aug. 2 primary: Sandra Arechiga, Brandi Buck and Marty Young. The top two going to the Nov. 8 general election.

Sandra Arechiga

Arechiga, a Hispanic immigrant and naturalized citizen, said she already has eight years of experience working in the clerk's office. She now works for the county as court facilitator in family law matters and was the jury administrator for six years before that.

"I aspire to contribute my time and effort into making a positive impact," Arechiga said. "I have developed a passion for my community and public service. The county would be best served by a smooth, seamless transition, and I believe I can provide that. I have a strong, working knowledge of what the position entails. Success will be measured by the right candidate being able to step in without causing interruption to the functions of the office."

Arechiga also said that both Morrison and Woods set a high bar for the job, leaving behind a clerk's office with a reputation for "amazing customer service."

But one big challenge that remains for the clerk is struggling to provide competitive salaries to keep their staff.

"My goal will be to maintain a positive and productive relationship with human resources department and the county commissioners to ensure the Clerk's Office can afford to keep the experienced staff we now have, not to mention new hires in the future."

Brandi Buck

Buck, a real estate agent, said she is running for the clerk's position as she is passionate about helping others. Before being a real estate agent, Buck said she has 10 years of "account management experience through different sales, business development and marketing positions."

"My experience working with local business owners and the general public by managing their accounts over the course of my career, has definitely expanded my skill set when it comes to organization, professionalism and overall work ethic," Buck said in an email. "I'm always looking for ways to get more involved and I saw this position as a great opportunity to do just that."

Buck said she would address any of the clerk's challenges through a committee in order to create a "plan of action."

"I can imagine the County Clerk comes with a lot of pain points since it’s such a multifaceted position," she said in an email. "Managing my own book of business over the years of my career, I can say there’s probably very similar challenges such as workload, implementing new programs and/or modifying existing ones."

Martin (Marty) Young

Young said he is now works for the state Department of Social and Health Services as a WorkFirst Program specialist and would like to lend his expertise to the clerk's office.

"I want to maintain and improve the county and Washington state as family- friendly, safe and economically sound places to live and prosper," Young said. "I am a fiscally conservative Christian and would be honored to serve as County Clerk giving my best efforts in serving the public. I also have the educational foundation and experience working for Fortune 500 companies and small businesses in management positions. I know how to lead a team and develop teamwork to efficiently accomplish goals and build or improve morale."

Young also said that the clerk's office needs to attract and keep their employees.

"We have, slowly over time, become the training ground for new clerks," he said. "It is not fiscally responsible to continue to invest years of training into our clerks just to have them leave for better paying positions elsewhere."

Young also ran for the Cascade School Board last year, losing the seat to incumbent Trey Ising.