Clerk receives plaque in honor of 25 years of service

The Michigan Association of County Clerks recently presented Sandy Moore, Crawford County Clerk/Register of Deeds, with a plaque in honor of her 25 years of service.

Moore has now served as Crawford County Clerk for 26 years, and she loves her job.

“I think I have the best job in the entire county. That’s how I look at it. If you love what you do, it makes it easy,” Moore said. “It’s a pretty neat job.”

Moore said helping people – especially with marriages – is the best part of being the clerk.

“I’ve actually got to marry three people just this January. That is probably my favorite thing,” Moore said. “Just making a difference in people’s lives.”

Moore said she appreciates the plaque and being a part of the Michigan Association of County Clerks. She served as president of the association in 2016.

“It’s something I value because the networking capabilities are amazing,” Moore said. “To be active in a state organization is simply amazing. It’s an honor and a privilege.”

The register of deeds position is responsible for keeping a variety of records, including court documents, concealed weapons applications, marriage licenses, real estate documentation, birth certificates, and death certificates, according to the Crawford County Building’s website. The clerk position is also responsible for working with the county board of commissioners and the elections commission.

Moore said the job deals with people “from birth to death and everything in between.”

“That’s what is amazing about this job is it’s so multi-faceted,” Moore said.

Moore said in high school she wanted to be a counselor, and she’s found that line of work to be similar to serving as clerk, because sometimes she has to deal with people who are going through a difficult time.

“I didn’t realize that’s what this job kind of is,” Moore said.

Moore said the county building is working on a software conversion right now that will save the county money.

“We shook up the whole office but it had to be done,” Moore said.

Moore said elections are probably the most difficult aspect of the job. She said the 2020 November general election had its challenges but it went well in Crawford County.

“We had a really good election,” Moore said.

Along with her plaque from the Michigan Association of County Clerks, Moore also received a certificate and a “thank you” letter from Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.

“Please accept this letter and the enclosed certificate as a modest token of my deep appreciation for everything you have accomplished during this challenging election year. What you achieved was no small undertaking. You implemented a major voter referendum during a global pandemic while facilitating record-breaking voter turnout. You showed once again that election administrators in cities, townships, and counties across Michigan are tireless and highly ethical experts, capable of executing safe, secure, and accurate elections no matter the circumstances,” Benson said in the letter.

Moore said Michigan’s county clerks are hoping that state lawmakers will improve the election process by implementing some of their recommended changes.

Clerks are asking for reform in a variety of election aspects, including “absent voter ballot processing, accountability, appropriations (funding), audits, filing deadlines and timing, recountability, testing, (and) training.”

“We want election reform,” Moore said. “We brainstormed and said we need election reform.”