Unlocking Your Potential Within the Association, Your County, and Yourself
“Change is the only constant in life” is my office motto and a well-known way of life in a typical clerk’s office. Every two years, laws are passed during the legislative session that can change the way we run our offices. As we enter the 128th year of the County & District Clerks’ Association of Texas (CDCAT), we find ourselves in a year of uncertainty.
In 2020, as a society we found ourselves on lockdown, many working from home if they could, as a result of COVID-19. As clerks, we knew we could not close our offices; our courts could not stop working; criminal, civil, and family cases kept coming; and people needed access to their deed records, marriage licenses, and death certificates. Courts were forced to manage their dockets virtually, so clerks developed plans to implement electronic and paperless processes.
Jump forward to June 2021 when we conducted our first in-person conference in 16 months. Things started getting back to normal, courts were meeting in person again, clerks were back in the courtroom, and courts were trying to catch up and reduce their case load.
Today we are in the middle of a heat wave in August and find that the COVID numbers are inching back up. Courts are fluctuating between virtual and in-person dockets, which makes any given day uncertain at best. We hope to get things back to normal, but we continue to plan for anything and everything in between. This is the job we have chosen to take on as clerks in the great State of Texas.
The title of clerk or deputy clerk comes with a higher level of responsibility and liability. State law requires each elected clerk, their deputies, and staff to be bonded and insured against liabilities incurred through errors or omissions and loss from burglary, theft, robbery, counterfeit currency, or destruction.
Because the Texas Legislature changes the laws every two years, the rules we follow are subject to change. As a clerk, you have to be open to changing your policies and procedures based on these new laws. Our vendors have to reprogram our case management systems; while they are working on that, we are developing manual processes to keep up with required state reporting. And then there are all of the election code changes! It would be easy to become frustrated with all the changes to the duties we perform, but we are public servants. We do this because we are called to serve.
We love our communities and enjoy the challenges this complex job entails. That being said, we find ourselves heading into 2023 facing a substantial “changing of the guard.” At least 54 clerks, that we know of, are retiring. Although we will miss our colleagues, this brings new faces ready to learn and fresh ideas to the Association.
Our CDCAT theme for this year is “Unlocking Your Potential Within the Association, Your County and Yourself.” We will explore ways that clerks can master the personal challenges they face and give back to their Association through serving on committees, presenting educational topics during conferences, becoming mentors, and serving on our board of directors.
Within their counties, we want to improve communication skills and encourage collaboration with other elected officials.
Within themselves, we want to assist them in overcoming personal road blocks.
Related educational topics will include public speaking, overcoming fears, and balancing the stresses of work/home life. As they say when you fly, “You have to place the oxygen mask on yourself before you can help anyone else.” I believe this upcoming year of self-improvement and personal growth and discovery will make us better public servants, better fellow elected officials, and better people. CDCAT is proud to continue to offer these excellent educational topics through our invaluable partnerships with TAC, our affiliate associations, and fellow seasoned clerks.
These might be uncertain times, but CDCAT will be arming the county and district clerks across the state with the tools to accomplish any and all challenges that come our way. As president of CDCAT, it is an honor to serve the Association and to ensure clerks are educated, successful, and able to unlock their hidden potential!
Let’s grow together to effect positive change!
2022-2023 Executive Board
| President: | Patti L. Henry, Chambers County District Clerk |
| Vice President: | Julie Smith, Potter County, County Clerk |
| Treasurer: | Velva Price, Travis County District Clerk |
| Secretary: | John Warren, Dallas County, County Clerk |
| Immediate Past President: | Stacey Kemp, Collin County, County Clerk |
| Parliamentarian: | Karren Winter, Archer County, County Clerk |
By Patti L. Henry
CDCAT 2022-23 President
Chambers County District Clerk
