Candidate profiles - Clerk for Greene County Commission

Clerk for the County Commission:

Shane Schoeller

Office currently held: Greene County Clerk

Political party: Republican

Family: Married to Mendie Schoeller and we have three children, Emma, Dorthy and Johnny, who attend
Willard Public Schools.              

Education: Southwest Baptist University, Bolivar Mo., 1990 - 1994     
BS in Political Science & Psychology; Minor in Communications; Branson High School, Branson MO, 1990
College Prep Diploma

Why do you want to hold the office you are running for?
Improving voting access for every voter continues to be a passion for all I do as county clerk. I have seen this goal realized through improved access to absentee voting and the addition of three central polling locations at the MSU Welcome Center and CU Bus Transit Center and Cox South Hospital to help ensure every voter has unhindered access to voting on election day. There's more work to be done through commonsense changes in our election laws, that would allow no excuse absentee ballot voting and additional polling locations during absentee voting.
 
Why do you feel the voters should re-elect you?
As county clerk I understand the importance of listening to others who have diverse backgrounds and different experiences. It is for that reason I created an election advisory board, comprising 35 people representing a diverse cross-section of local residents, who helped give valuable input that helped in the choosing of the new voting equipment for Greene County.
The new voting system, which is paper ballot based to protect the integrity of every vote cast, saved Greene County taxpayers over $60,000 in April 2018 alone, compared to the past two April elections. These savings mean our schools, cities, and fire protection districts pay less for their share of the election cost when they are on the ballot.  If reelected, I am looking forward to continued meetings with the board to gain their valuable insight as we plan to study polling place accessibility here in Greene County next.
Transparency and access to records are vital components to freedom at every level of government and that is why I was honored to initiate and launch a Sunshine law workshop last year designed to help public entities in southwest Missouri, regardless of their size, come together and learn best practices for responding to Sunshine requests. The significance of this cannot be overstated because it directly impacts the responsiveness and openness of our government to every citizen it serves.  As county clerk, one of my responsibilities over the past four years has been to retain official documents and records for our office and the county commission, and to make them available to the public when requested through a “Sunshine request.”  The workshop created a unique opportunity to get those who work in public service, citizens, government watchdogs, and the media into a room, and to have a dialogue and learn how we can better work together when requests are made. I want to continue efforts like these if re-elected and continue to improve the openness and transparency of our county government.

What previous public offices have you held?
Three terms in the Missouri House of Representatives, 139th Legislative District 

What are the most important issues we’re facing right now, and how do you plan to handle them?
Since 2016, there is a growing concern about the potential for elections to be compromised. Best practices in cybersecurity defense are essential to protecting every voter's registration information and the counting of their voted ballot. I have worked with national and state leaders in this effort and continue to work to ensure we protect the integrity of our elections. Doing so is foundational to giving every voter unwavering confidence their vote counts.
Numerous questions have been asked for several months by Greene County residents about the stewardship of their taxes paid to the county. I've strongly advocated for a transparency portal be created to allow all financial transactions by the county be viewed by anyone interested in knowing how the county is spending their tax dollars.  The transparency portal would provide the opportunity for accountability and do so without the extra step of needing to make a Sunshine request to get that information. Ensuring every citizen of our county has unhindered access to their county’s financial expenditures is critical to earning and keeping their trust and I will continue if re-elected to be a strong voice for commonsense tools like the transparency portal.

What else would you like for the voters to know about you?
I strive to be a good listener, which has helped me better understand how best to support each team member of the office. Listening to their insights, ideas and concerns has helped me better empower them to perform the numerous administrative duties they do each day that includes tax administration, licensing and notaries, payroll and benefits, retention and archival of county records, voter registration, and especially in the complexities of election administration.
I'm a firm believer in the importance of being accountable to the public in every duty of the office. The willingness to be honest and transparent, in every aspect of each duty of the office, ensures the opportunity for everyone to have a voice in the decisions being made. I've found time and again that this helps illuminate the best path forward to commonsense solutions, that otherwise may never have been realized. I enjoy working with local nonprofits such as Convoy of Hope, Children’s Miracle Network and the Pregnancy Care Center, who help make a difference in our community.
I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve had, the relationships I have built along the way, and I look forward to continuing to serve my community in the years to come.

Maggie Tuck

Political party: Democrat

Family: Husband, Scott; Four sons, Daughter-in-Law, new grandson

Education: BS Socio-Political Communication, Missouri State University; Currently completing MPA in Public Administration with focus in Municipal Finance/Management from Villanova University; AS Applied Science/ Respiratory Therapy, Ozarks Technical College

Why do you want to hold this office?
After serving in the military reserves for most of my adult life, I was not ready to stop serving. After finishing my military career what I realized was that many people are not civically engaged, because they may not realize how valuable each vote is to a community. As Greene County Clerk, I hope to restore civic pride in the voting process, by helping citizens to better understand how important it is to vote. Through nonpartisan voter education, registration, and advocacy, I am confident I can improve our election process. Upon my election I will call for a complete audit of the clerk’s office, as I am extremely concerned about the reporting and the records of our current clerk. I feel that many of our voter registrations have been lost and/or compromised.

Why do you feel you are the best candidate for the job?
I have spent the last several years working for a nonpartisan nonprofit organization teaching civil civic education. I know that I am capable of working with individuals from all political backgrounds and beliefs. The position of clerk is nonpartisan. As a military member, I am a firm believer that all members of the community should be represented, and all voices should be heard. Leadership and strong administrative skills in this position are extremely important. Understanding of municipal finance and training election judges are important skills needed for this position.

What previous public offices have you held?
I am not a lifetime politician, seeking future offices. I am running for County Clerk, because of my passion to help fix the issues plaguing the Greene County Clerk’s Office in the last four years. I believe I can turn this office around in eight years, or two terms in office. I will not seek other political offices.

What are the most important issues we’re facing right now, and how do you plan to handle them?
There is an extreme discrepancy in voter registration numbers reported by our current Greene County Clerk on the polling records, with nearly 30, 000 voters shown missing from November, 2014 to August 2018. Now the Clerk states we have a record number of voters registered, but states only 10,000 voters were registered in 2018. Numbers reported to elections authorities do not match numbers reported in the Greene County Clerk Public Election Record. Countless voters apply for voter registration, only to be denied or ignored. Polling judge training has left many of our polling judges feeling unprepared to face new voting laws and polling issues, which makes the voting experience less than enjoyable for all involved. I believe the process can be simplified, saving the taxpayers money. Public service announcements, at no cost to the taxpayers, can be created prior to elections, to improve voter turnout. Local voter turnout was only 9.46% in April of 2018 in Springfield. Hopefully reminding voters of upcoming issues and elections dates with these PSA’s will help improve our voter turnout.

What else would you like for the voters to know about you?
I want to help all citizens vote, regardless of political party or views. Helping our community become involved and cleaning up our voter registration system is important to me. Making sure voters feel that their votes are secure and that their votes matter is my priority. I look forward to serving each person in Greene County.