Full-time clerk

WAURIKA — It’s still three months before candidates can officially file for county elections that will be held in July. But one Waurikan has already decided she’d like to make a temporary job something more permanent.

Anticipating the candidate filing period in June, Michelle Gerken Hall recently confirmed she would be a contender for county clerk in the July election.

A lifelong Waurika resident, Hall is getting a running start at the county clerk’s position. When Doris Pilgreen retired on January 1, the Jefferson County commissioners appointed Hall as her replacement. By the time the election is held in July, Hall will have been working in the clerk’s office for almost nine years.

“I had the pleasure of working for Doris for 8-1/2 years,” said Hall. “I was the purchasing agent in Doris’ office for eight years, and then I was her (appointed) first deputy after Anna Gale Wilcoxson retired in October of last year.

“Doris taught me so much in the time we worked together. I know I have big shoes to fill, when it comes to being county clerk, but I had a great teacher. I understand the responsibilities of the job pretty well.

“I also have had the pleasure of working closely with the county commissioners over the years. I’d like to give a special thanks to them for having faith in my capabilities, and for appointing me to such an honorable position.”

Hall is a 1992 graduate of Waurika High School. After graduation, she accumulated 90 hours of college credits, but withdrew from school and entered the work force after having her first child.

Hall started in the county clerk’s office in August 1999. “I knew their was an opening,” she noted. “It was a local job, and I wanted to stay in the community.”

County clerks are record-keepers for their areas and constituents, and Hall stressed that using new technology to streamline and organize Jefferson County’s records is a priority.

Since being appointed county clerk, Hall said, “My staff and I have been trying to make some much-needed updates to the office. We recently added a new public view station at the counter, and it has proven to be beneficial to many lawyers, abstract companies and landmen that come to our office every day.

“We have approximately 40,000 records dating back to 1999 on the view station for the public to view as well as to print out. Public availability is important. We’ll be scanning more records as we have the time to do so, and in the future, when the county can afford it, we’ll have to expand the technology.”

“In addition,” she added, “we also have a plat map system on the view station that the public can use.”

Hall and her husband Bo have four children: Megan Hall, a senior at Waurika High; Sean Hall, a junior at WHS; Amber Hall, a high school freshman; and Hope Henderson, a third-grader at Waurika Elementary.

The official filing period for the county elections is June 2-4, and Hall plans to file as soon as the period begins. Until then, the temporary county clerk said, “My staff and I are working hard to implement updates to our office as we see necessary.”

“My goal,” Hall said, “is to serve the citizens of Jefferson County, and to have a county clerk’s office that all can be proud of.”

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