SONYA HARRIS FOR COUNTY CLERK

HARRIS CALLS FOR SATELLITE CLERK'S OFFICE IN ATLANTIC FOR PUBLIC CONVENIENCE AND ACCESSIBILITY

SONYA HARRIS FOR COUNTY CLERK

RELEASE: Immediate, CONTACT: Atlantic County
Sept. 7, 2006 Republican Hdqs.
677-0707

Sonya Harris, Republican candidate for Atlantic County Clerk, said today that, as clerk, she would undertake an in depth study of the feasibility of opening a satellite clerk’s office in a shopping mall in the county “so the office will be considerably more convenient and accessible to the people we serve.�

“People today lead extremely busy lives and very often find it quite difficult to find time to reach a county office to conduct necessary business,� Harris said. “If our taxpayers and citizens can’t always get to government, we should do whatever we can to bring government to them.�

Harris made her proposal today at a news conference at the Shore Mall in Egg Harbor Township.

“A shopping mall, with its high level of pedestrian traffic and its natural draw to consumers, is an ideal site for an adjunct clerk’s office,� she said. “It is critical for government to be able to adapt to changing circumstances and direct its energies toward providing greater convenience and accessibility to the citizens and taxpayers.�

She pointed out that the largest single employer in Atlantic County is the hotel/casino industry and many of its employees have work schedules which preclude them from conducting business during the typical government office hours.

“An office in a shopping mall would have the flexibility of extended hours and evening hours, as well as weekend hours to accommodate these workers,� she said.

Harris said a mall office could provide a wide range of services, including passport applications, trade name registrations, absentee ballot applications, and voter registration.

“Moreover, such an office would provide an excellent outlet for other county departments to offer brochures and printed materials about the services and programs they provide,� Harris said.

She pointed to the experience in neighboring Ocean County which has a “County Connection� office at the Ocean County Mall, and Burlington County which opened a “County Corner� office in the Moorestown Mall last year.

“The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive from the public, demonstrating not only that the need for such an office exists, but that the public will view it favorably,� Harris said.

She said that the office in Burlington County has been so well utilized that the county’s share of passport fees alone has been sufficient to cover the lease payments for the office.

Creation of the Burlington County office was supported by the clerk’s modernization fund which is used for technological and infrastructure improvements. The fund is generated by a $2 state-mandated fee on each document recorded in the clerk’s office.

“There is no reason why Atlantic County cannot explore creating a satellite office and use the Burlington County experience as a guide in our study,� she said.