Two Republicans are in the running for the post of County Clerk in the Aug. 5 primary election, and the winner will face no registered Democratic competition on the ballot in November. Nancy Armstrong and Robert Boyer face off in the race with sitting County Clerk Joan Harmes not seeking re-election.Clerk is one of only two contested county seats, along with presiding commissioner, on the ballot along with a host of state constitutional amendments. Armstong, 57, hails from St. Joseph, Mo. and has been married to her husband, Ron, for nearly 36 years. She has two grown sons and served as the chief financial officer for Platte Woods Animal Hospital for 20 years. For more than 10 years, she has worked as a corporate vice president in the banking industry, having served on the board of directors for the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce and as treasurer for the Platte County Senior Fund. Armstrong said she decided to run because Platte County is her home. “For over 20 years, my husband and I have lived here, worked here and raised our children here,” Armstrong said. “Over the years, I have dedicated a great deal of time in service to my community. I care about Platte County and the people who live here. I firmly believe that the citizens of Platte County deserve representation by dedicated office holders who are willing to work together as a team for the betterment of Platte County.” Armstrong said she is fiscally conservative with a professional background suited to saving the county from costly errors. “Platte County is growing rapidly, and while growth is good, it does bring with it challenges,” Armstrong said. “Platte County has challenging decisions to make regarding paying for the federally mandated radio system and whether or not to expand the jail. All of these decisions have to be made while adhering to the budget and being good stewards of the tax payers dollars.” Boyer, 54, is originally from Los Angeles and has been married to his wife, Joanna, for 22 years. They have three sons. Boyer has run small businesses in Platte County for more than 20 years, owns a web development company and holds a computer technology degree. He has served as vice-chair of the Republican Central Committee and his church. Boyer said he was asked to run for the position and feels his experience running small businesses qualifies him for the office. “I have corporate experience with similar duties as the clerk,” Boyer said. “In hospitals, I was responsible for the documentation of tens of thousands of pieces of medical equipment, carefully adhering to state standards for hospital certification. In business and the computer field, I have many years of experience operating in a technical environment where accuracy and attention to detail is extremely important. I will bring those skills to the clerk’s office.” Boyer’s business systems skills would allow him to streamline office systems, he said. “I work for excellence with accuracy and attention to detail,” he said. “I have vision, trouble-shooting skills from computer technology, ingenuity, integrity, boldness and team-building skills to upgrade the clerk’s office. I have a passion for our constitutional republic and a fundamental commitment to ‘We the People’ — the best form of government anywhere, anytime.” Boyer said he would transfer documents to PDF fillable format with data verification to bring the office into the 21st century. “I will explore the costs and benefits of keeping documents electronically for easy retrieval in addition to paper and microfiche files,” he said. Addressing concerns from the current clerk’s tenure seems to be a key feature of the race for county clerk. Last fall, an error made in the county clerk’s office incorrectly reported the county’s tax levy to the state, an error the County Commission corrected earlier this year. More recently, members of the jail committee commissioned to investigate whether or not the county needs a new jail facility have expressed frustration with obtaining records of County Commission actions on the clerk’s website. “The county clerk performs many very important duties — duties that require the utmost attention to detail and accuracy,” Armstrong said. “This very important attention to detail and accuracy has not been exercised, resulting in incorrect information being generated and sent out from the county clerk’s office. In my mind, this is completely unacceptable. Items generated and being sent out from the county clerk’s office should be checked, double checked, and if necessary, triple checked before leaving that office.” Boyer said, if elected, he would give the public the opportunity to sign up for email alerts of County Commission agendas.
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