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Candidates Tout Experience

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By TODD LESKANIC

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 21, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - Dan Tipton and Paula O'Neil each view their backgrounds as their strengths.

O'Neil, 51, has spent the past 23 years working in government. Tipton, 56, served as mayor of New Port Richey for four years and has run a business for the past 38 years.

Voters will decide who they think would make a better clerk of court in Tuesday's Republican primary. The winner will face Democrat Robert Altman in November's general election, which will determine who replaces outgoing clerk Jed Pittman.

Pittman, 66, is retiring after 30 years in the post, which pays $137,144 a year.

For the past six years, O'Neil has served as his chief deputy clerk. In that role, she's gotten a taste of managing the 400-employee operation with a $28 million budget, three offices in New Port Richey and three more in Dade City.

"I feel like I have almost 400 people depending on me to lead the clerk's office," O'Neil said. "I believe in excellence in government. I love when government does the right thing, and in the 20 or 25 years I've worked in public government, I have dedicated myself to making things better, and I can do that with the clerk's office, too."

Tipton, who has operated Dan Tipton Interiors since 1971, touts his experience away from the bureaucracy of government, saying voters will give him the nod Tuesday if "they are really interested in having change at the clerk's office."

"When I operate my business, I've had to be able to make ends meet, and government agencies, it seems to me, just think there's a bottomless pot of money," Tipton said. "I'd like to run it like a business, change things to make it a little more user-friendly and be able to help the taxpayers out when they're trying to obtain their important documents."

The clerk's office has dozens of responsibilities. Not only is the office responsible for recordkeeping and recording deeds, it also oversees the county's spending and audits its books.

"I know my opponent wants to run the office like a business," O'Neil said. "It's not a business. Government is not a business. There are things in government you just can't do. You can't just walk away when customers are unhappy or if a statute changes."

Tipton said he's managed as many as 28 employees at his business. He also pointed to his experience as mayor of New Port Richey, a city with about 240 employees, as key experience. Tipton served as mayor from 2004 to April 2008.

He also volunteered at the Levy County Clerk's Office several times in the past few months to learn more about the inner workings of a clerk's office.

O'Neil said she plans to expand the office's hours, have patrons fill out customer service evaluations and continue to expand the office's online offerings.

Tipton said he wants to open a satellite office in Wesley Chapel or Land O' Lakes for the growing number of residents there. He also said he would try to decreases fees and increase the office's online presence by making more documents available to users at no charge.

PAULA O'NEIL

Age: 51

Education: B.S., Missouri State University, 1976; M.S., National-Louis University, 1993; Ph.D. candidate, Walden University

Family: Single, two children

Professional experience: Chief deputy clerk, Pasco County Clerk of Circuit Court, 2002-present; administrative services manager, Pasco County Community Services Department, 1993-2002; recreation coordinator/administrative division manager, Pasco County Parks & Recreation Department, 1987-1993; assistant director of park operations, Charleston (S.C.) County Park & Recreation Commission, 1985-1987; teacher, 1979-1985

Political experience: none

Web site: www.paulaforpascoclerk.com

DAN TIPTON

Age: 56

Education: Gulf High School, 1971

Family: Married, two children

Professional experience: Owner, Dan Tipton Interiors

Political experience: New Port Richey Mayor, 2004-2008

Web site: www.tipton4clerk.com

Reporter Todd Leskanic can be reached at (727) 815-1084 or tleskanic@tampatrib.com.

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