To the Editor:

I was driving down the street recently in Huron and noted candidate signs for Beadle County Register of Deeds on properties around town. One of those candidates, to my knowledge, has little to no actual experience working in a Register of Deeds office. I turned to my wife and said; “Why would you support someone for a position they have no experience in?” My wife simply replied, “It’s a popularity contest.”

Hiring someone to lead a county office, particularly one as complex as the Register of Deeds should not be a popularity contest. You are paying an individual to do a job and to lead an office. Someone without adequate experience simply cannot pull their weight and creates more work (not less) in the office and can often frustrate underlings who have a better grasp of the position. Like everyone else, I’d like to see local tax dollars used as wisely as possible. So, the responsible thing to me is to hire the most qualified person.

Now, am I going to vote for a friend? Yes. Is it because she is a friend? No. She simply has the greatest amount of experience working in a Register of Deeds offices, much of that in Beadle County.

Judy Rodacker is running for Beadle County Register of Deeds and has been employed in that office for 16 years, with previous experience with the Huron Title Company. Does it help that Judy is also is a kind, compassionate and hard-working individual? Yes, that’s a definite bonus, but experience counts. Please support Judy Rodacker for Beadle County Register of Deeds; competence and continuity of operations is a must.

Dana Vaillancourt
Huron