Fresno County may appoint a new clerk on Tuesday. Here’s what we know
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors could appoint a new county clerk Tuesday after a closed session meeting.
Longtime County Clerk Brandi Orth announced her retirement last month noting she’ll finish her tenure at the end of February.
The supervisors can choose to appoint a replacement, and are scheduled to discuss that issue during closed session. If they vote in closed session, they are required to report it in open session.
The clerk provides services related to marriage licenses and ceremonies, fictitious business names, passport applications and the Fresno County Records Management program.
Perhaps the clerk’s most visible job is as the registrar of voters, overseeing each election in the county.
Supervisor Nathan Magsig said the county received numerous applications for the job, but he stopped short of being specific about how many people applied.
He said it’s important that the next clerk have experience, understand election law and be a good communicator to voters who may be suspicious.
“When it comes to the election in Fresno County, voters need to have confidence that their vote is counted and counted correctly,” he said.
He noted a call from some constituents to purge voter rolls, noting election law is complicated and there is a process to legally purge a name that may be outdated or redundant.
Orth has recommended Assistant County Clerk James Kus to replace her when she goes. Kus could not immediately be reached Monday for comment.
A handful of members of the public spoke at the Feb. 9 meeting of the board and spoke in support of attorney Mark Johnson being appointed as the clerk and registrar of voters. Officials have not confirmed if he was interviewed.
Supervisor Sal Quintero said the county is not without its issues and the clerk’s office has made mistakes, but they have been quickly fixed in the past. He said, though, cleaning up voter rolls would be a good idea.
“For transparency, it wouldn’t hurt to do it,” he said. “That way everybody is on the same page.”
Supervisor Steve Brandau could not be immediately reached Monday, but commented on the issue during the Feb. 9 meeting.
“My resolve is to support somebody in Fresno County who will always protect our voter rolls. I don’t know what that looks like right now,” he said.
“I don’t believe there is extensive voter fraud in Fresno County, but there are things we can do to clean up the voter rolls.”
The board meets at 10 a.m. Tuesday. The Hall of Records has limited seating, but the meetings are streamed online.
