Lucy Beauchamp (I)
Michele McQuigg (R) 
Bill Ryland (D)
Here is why you should vote for Michele.
Election Background
One of the reasons we have so many people running for political office this year is that the Constitution of Virgina requires we elect a number of county officials besides those serving on the Board of County Supervisors and on the School Board. Here is what it says in Article VII, Section 4.
There shall be elected by the qualified voters of each county and city a treasurer, a sheriff, an attorney for the Commonwealth, a clerk, who shall be clerk of the court in the office of which deeds are recorded, and a commissioner of revenue. The duties and compensation of such officers shall be prescribed by general law or special act.
My personal opinion is that these positions should be filled by appointees, but for the time being we are stuck with electing people to these positions. And these positions are important. So it behooves us to pay attention. What should we know about the race for the Clerk of Court?
The incumbent, Dave Mabie, has retired (see here). That leaves the position up for grabs. Fortunately, we have three good candidates. Each of the candidates has done their homework, and I would suggest comparing their websites. That includes reviewing how each candidate describes the job. One thing to note, for example, is this statement from Bill Ryland’s website.
The Clerk serves for an eight year term, receives an annual salary of $130,000, and has oversight responsibility for 58 full time employees and an annual budget of $5.736 in FY ‘06 million comprised of revenues from state and local budget allocations and clerk fees.
For anyone who likes politics and craves challenges and responsibility, Clerk of Court is a relatively good job. The salary is reasonable, the authority is commensurate with the responsibility, and the pay is decent. This perhaps explains why Lucy Beauchamp, formerly Chair of the School Board, and Michele McQuigg, formerly a member of the House of Delegates, are seeking this position. What we pay honest people to serve on the School Board and in the House of Delegates is criminal. The salary does not begin to make serving in either body worth the trouble. Nonetheless, both ladies served commendably in their previous positions.
It is apparent that when Dave Mabie retired, both ladies saw that the Clerk of the Court job would be nice change. Note that the job of County Sheriff, also well paid, has been also been the subject of rigorous competition by multiple job seekers.
Obviously, Bill Ryland, currently a trial attorney with a practice in Prince William County, also sees the Clerk of Court position as a nice way to enter the political arena and serve his fellow citizens.
This website (here) provides a voter guide that briefly describes each of the candidates.
Record of Public Service
Lucy Beauchamp (I)
Beauchamp is in her sixteenth year of serving on the School Board. Currently she is the Board’s chair, and it is apparent she is respected by and has cordial relations with her fellow board members. At the same time, Beauchamp’s relations with the Board of County Supervisors (BOCS) are less than cordial. When housing values fell, and the BOCS decided not to raise taxes, relations between the School Board and the BOCS soured. The School Board wanted more money than the BOCS felt necessary, and Beauchamp led the charge.
Beauchamp’s nominal party affiliation is Republican. In fact she sought the Republican Party’s nomination, but when if became apparent she would not get this nomination at the convention, she withdrew her name from consideration. Hence, she is now running as an independent.
For more biographical details, see Beauchamp’s website (here).
Michele McQuigg (R)
When Beauchamp withdrew her name from consideration for the Republican Party’s nomination, as the only other candidate, McQuigg received the nomination by default. Like Beauchamp, McQuigg is respected as friendly, honest, and a hard worker. Relative to Beauchamp, she is also a bit more diplomatic and conservative. So all other things being equal, she was the more popular choice — particularly since she had not initiated a feud with fellow Republicans over a tax increase.
Instead of a biography, McQuigg provides a resume on her website (here). She clearly understands she is seeking a job, and she wants us to understand her ample qualifications from that perspective.
Bill Ryland (D)
As a lawyer, Ryland has utilized the services of Courthouse for years. In fact, as an appointee, Ryland has even served as the Clerk of Court. Curiously however, although Ryland mentions on his website that he has previous experience serving as Clerk of Court, it does not mention that he ran for the position as the incumbent and lost to Dave Mabie (see here).
Since his election lost to Dave Mabie, Ryland has served as a trial attorney running his own practice. That in and of itself is a significant accomplishment.
Ryland provides a detail biography on his website (here).
The Issues
The Clerk of Court has a vast array of duties (see here). Whichever candidate we select for the Clerk of Court must be a decent manager familiar with the job’s legal responsibilities and the technology required to get the job done expeditiously.
During their debates, the candidates addressed the issue of qualifications head on (see here and here).
Citizen Tom’s Recommendation
All the candidates offering themselves for this position are well qualified. Even if it makes the choice more difficult, we are fortunate to have such a nice choice (It helps to pay people seeking elected office a decent salary.).
Lucy Beauchamp and Michele McQuigg have years of experience in public service. Both have management experience, and both understand how to meet a budget. Of these two, McQuigg, due to her committee work in Richmond probably has the most practical knowledge of the duties of the Clerk of Court.
Ryland’s legal expertise is no doubt exemplary, and Ryland makes much of this expertise. However, although the Clerk of Court requires some legal knowledge, a law degree is not required. Management and administrative skills are required.
Note that this is a three-way race. Because she has done a reasonably good job on the School Board, Beauchamp will undoubtedly appeal to some Republicans. Instead of voting for Beauchamp, Republicans should keep in mind that McQuigg earned the Republican nomination because she is more qualified.
Beauchamp offered herself for the Republican nomination. That offer implied a willingness to accept the results of the nomination process. Instead, Beauchamp now threatens to split the Republican vote.
Vote for Michele McQuigg.
Other Views
At Craig’s Musings, Ryland is the preferred choice (here).
The SkepticalObserver thinks Ryland and McQuigg acquitted themselves well during the debate (here).
Luxurious Choices favors Beauchamp (here).
