Ledford's experience stands out in clerk race

It's not a high-profile race, but it's an important one.

The position of county clerk is appointed in most Washington counties that have a home-rule charter. But Snohomish County voters have a long tradition of insisting on electing such positions, which are technically nonpartisan. It's a system that relies on voters to look beyond the candidates' political affiliations and concentrate on their qualifications.

In the Aug. 21 primary, three candidates are seeking to replace current Snohomish County Clerk Pam Daniels, who is in her 12th year and is barred by term limits from seeking re-election. Those who would be clerk: Ron Ledford, 55, the chief deputy county clerk; Sonya Kraski, 41, a manager in the clerk's office who oversees juvenile court clerks and court services; and Bob Dantini, 56, Snohomish County treasurer for the past 12 years, who is term-limited out of that job at the end of the year.

The Snohomish County Clerk's office provides essential services to the court system, managing the pool of jurors for court cases, processing and archiving critical information and trial exhibits and recording all jury and nonjury proceedings. In addition, the office handles approximately $18 million in funds annually.

When evaluating the candidates' experience, Ron Ledford stands out. As chief deputy county clerk for the past seven years, he has run the day-to-day operations of the office, including the budget. His 25-year career as a court manager here and in other states makes him the most qualified candidate for the job.

Kraski has worked in the clerk's office for 22 years, working her way from a judicial records assistant to her current position of manager at the Denny Juvenile Justice Center and the Court Services division, which encompasses the Domestic Violence Protection Order staff and Family Law facilitators. Her rise within the office, and her knowledge of its workings are impressive, but Kraski lacks Ledford's administrative and budget experience.

Treasurer Dantini admits he would have a fairly big learning curve if elected, but says his experience as treasurer and his overall business savvy qualify him to take over as clerk. Conventional wisdom suggests Dantini's name recognition alone will earn him votes. But the capable county treasurer, a CPA, does not have relevant experience for the position, especially when compared to his challengers.

All the candidates agree that the biggest issue facing the clerk's office is the labor dispute that has left its union workers without a contract for more than two years. While Kraski and Dantini lacked specifics on how they would immediately handle the situation upon taking office, Ledford strongly vowed he would be in County Executive Aaron Reardon's office every day, urging him to resolve the issue.