Democrat

Candidate name: Loretta E. Knight

Place of residence: Germantown

Date of birth: Oct. 18, 1942

Place of birth: Washington, D.C.

Education: Washington School for Secretaries, graduated 1962; Northwood High School, graduated 1960.

Community associations, involvement: n⁄a

Professional associations: Mid-Atlantic Association for Court Management; National Association for Court Management; Notary Public of the State of Maryland

Family: husband, John; three children; four grandchildren

Campaign address, telephone: n⁄a

Web site: www.LorettaKnight.com.

Link to state Board of Elections campaign finance database\r

I am running for the Clerk of the Circuit Court position because becoming the Clerk would be the culmination of my career, and because I believe I am the most qualified person to succeed the retiring Clerk, Molly Q. Ruhl. I have been Deputy Clerk and Manager of the Civil Division, the largest division in the courthouse, for fifteen years and have accrued the skills, knowledge and experience that best qualify me to be the Clerk of the Circuit Court.

Further, I am a member of the slate ‘‘Your Courthouse Team” which includes: Joe Griffin for Register of Wills, Ray Kight for Sheriff, and John McCarthy for State’s Attorney, and I have the full support of the present Clerk of the Court, Molly Q. Ruhl.

I am an active member of MAACM (Mid-Atlantic Association for Court Management) and the NACM (National Association for Court Management), a Notary Public of the State of Maryland, and regularly attend management workshops at MAACM conferences as well as training sessions for supervisors and managers through the Administrative Office of the Courts. I have also completed the Managing Human Resources Certificate Program through the National Center for State Courts. Thus, I fully understand all aspects and functions of the Clerk’s position. In summary, I am uniquely qualified, fully experienced and passionately dedicated to make the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office for Montgomery County the best it can be as it’s Clerk.

What I would like to see changed and improved under the Clerk’s jurisdiction is easier access for the public to court records through the Internet with safeguards against identity theft. Currently, only the Land Records and the Licensing Department are close to being completely on the Internet. I want everyone to be able to access the courthouse from the comfort of their own home or office, and for attorneys to be able to save time and expense for their clients. The Clerk of the Court must continue to press for progress towards a paperless courthouse which will save the State of Maryland and Montgomery County millions of dollars.