Name: Paula S. O’Neil
Age: 55
Residence: Bayonet Point
Occupation: clerk of circuit court and Pasco comptroller
Political affiliation: Republican
Political experience: Serving first term as clerk of circuit court and county comptroller; elected in 2008
Office being sought: Pasco County Clerk of Circuit Court
What separates you from your competitors(s)?
This constitutional office has complex and varied responsibilities that require quick and knowledgeable decisions on a continuous basis by seasoned professionals. My professional credentials include 25 years of dedication to improving Pasco County government, advanced degrees including a doctorate in management, and a sincere commitment to our community. Experience and education are essential to the management of a billion dollar budget; collaboration with elected officials, and the public; and fulfilling the statutory duties of the Office. This constitutional officer must also lead a team of hundreds of employees and set the stage for customer service to hundreds of thousands of customers. With the responsibilities of courts, official records, county comptroller and county auditor, your Clerk must safeguard county assets, records, and resources. Our office has been recognized with many awards in the last four years, including four Achievement Awards from the Nat’l Assoc. of Counties, Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, Excellence in Financial Reporting and the WPBA Justice Award. Most importantly, I have integrity and am honored to have the privilege to serve.
What do you hope to accomplish in your first six months in office?
My number one priority since my election in 2008 has been the eFuture of the Clerk & Comptroller’s Office. Since my election, we have taken many Clerk responsibilities into the electronic world. The largest electronic changes include online foreclosure sales, online jury reporting, electronic payables, electronic payroll, electronic judicial reporting, ACH interface for customers and eTickets for red light cameras. We are in the process of replacing a 1977 court case maintenance system with a next generation system and moving all court files into electronic filing.
It is my hope that the voters of Pasco County enable me to continue to lead this electronic transition for the Clerk’s Office. By June of 2013, we hope to have at least five of the ten court case types in electronic format. This transition will enable customers to perform more sophisticated searches of court activity from their personal computers.
What do you hope to accomplish by the end of your term?
I would like to have all court case types online and have document retrieval available online. I would like to have a completely paperless judicial system with the ability for all justice partners to access the same documents and dockets and case information at the same time. It would be great to have all archived records scanned and available in electronic format.
The second area of my concentration during a second term that I would like to continue is positive customer service with a continued emphasis on customer education. Providing access to the public for courthouse tours and providing educational opportunities for the public have increased public awareness of the services provided by our government. This public access has enabled me to address questions about our services to citizens without the restrictions of governmental structures. It would be an honor to continue to serve as Clerk.
List your political endorsements:
West Pasco Board of Realtors, East Pasco Association of Realtors, West Florida Federation of Labor, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, Congressman Gus Bilirakis, Senator Mike Fasano, Representative Will Weatherford, Representative Richard Corcoran, State Attorney Bernie McCabe, Public Defender Bob Dillinger, and the following attorneys: Sallie Skipper, Gary Davis, Larry Hart, Glen Greenfelder, Hutch Brock, Tara O’Connor, Kerry O’Connor, Stacy Kemp, Alyssa Ruge, David Carter, Declan Mansfield, Frank Bianco, George Psetas, Bill Moore, Alfred Tetlow, Nathan Brewer, Michael Beam, Steve Duran, Jeff Lucas, David Anderson, Stephen Booth, Craig LaPorte, Brian Mulligan, Catie Mansfield, Al Torrence, Beverly Barnett, Daniel Rock, Elizabeth Blair, Hodges & Carle, A.P. Gibbs, Dennis Alfonso, Nancy Alfonso, John Klawikofsky, Barbara Wilhite, Laird Lile, Ernest Cole, Glen Johnson, Dominic Farello, Scott McPherson, John Henson, Jeremiah Hawkes, Dionne Blaesing, Nicole Nate and Chip Waller
Name: Roberta Cutting
Age: 52
Residence: Zephyrhills
Occupation: running for office
Political affiliation: Independent
Political experience: none
Office being sought: Pasco County Clerk of Circuit Court
What separates you from your competitors(s)?
Paula O’Neil’s unethical conduct was my inspiration to run against her. I would never hurt someone that I am representing and O’Neil crossed that line when she maliciously sabotaged my career with no explanation of why she did it. Furthermore, she would not talk to me via any method to get whatever her problem was resolved. I would never do this to anyone, not alone someone I am supposed to be representing.
This is one reason I am adamant on having an open door policy and will listen and adhere to your concerns, wholeheartedly, and why I am 100% for YOU, the people.
I would not charge you to view the financial records of the clerk’s office or put you through bureaucracy to get them, as I would have nothing to hide. Unfortunately, I am currently having these issues.
Wastefully spending your money is another thing I would never do to you.
I am also giving back half of my salary to the people.
What do you hope to accomplish in your first six months in office?
My name is Cutting and I am cutting anything that hurts the people right from the start.
Cut my salary in half (which is almost $70,000 a year) and give it back to the people to help them excel. A database will be set up and the comments from the people will decide where we will use those funds, starting with the majority of the people and work our way down to the minority of the people.
Bring in an outside auditor to help analyze the financial records to eliminate needless spending and rechannel funds more productively.
Continue modernizing the electronic database, including researching what other counties are using and utilize the best user-friendly system available. Also, consider not only having foreclosed properties online, but also bring back the courthouse steps approach on buying foreclosed properties.
Cut bureaucracy by having an open door policy.
What do you hope to accomplish by the end of your term?
Cutting out wasteful spending and rechannel the extra funds back to the people where it belongs.
Cutting bureaucracy because of the open door policy and adhere to the concerns of the people.
Have a fully functional electronic system with as much open government and public records allowable my law implemented so that the people can have easier access to these records.
Have programs in place that are helping the people, such as setting up programs for children, dental programs, get people off drugs, re-open the swimming pools, etc. The sky is the limit for whatever the people decide on the funds I am giving back to them.
Bring up the morale of the employees by offering incentives and training to help them to be inspired to give the best possible service to you, the people of this county.
Everything I plan to do is geared on helping YOU.
List your political endorsements:
No response given.
