Clerk-Recorder:  A Contrast of Campaigns
                                        By Joan Clappier, Grass Valley

We have two very different candidates running for Clerk-Recorder: Greg Diaz – an experienced, proven candidate running on qualifications and performance. Barry Pruett  - running on sensationalism, buzz words and scare tactics

Consider the content of Pruett’s recent mailer, in which he once again uses intentional deception to mislead voters.

PRUETT’S CLAIM:  Diaz “claims experience running the San Francisco Clerk-Recorder’s office when the elective office was raided by FBI over no-bid contracts and political abuse.”

TRUTH:   The FBI investigation was of the ASSESSOR’S office and had nothing to do with the Clerk-Recorder’s office or Greg Diaz.   Link to the article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/05/10/ward.DTL

PRUETT’S CLAIM:  Diaz “Violated California law by disclosing our vital information on the internet and putting our citizens at risk of identity theft”.

TRUTH:  The referenced and ONLY complaint came from … Barry Pruett.  The county requested information from him to check it out and try to duplicate the problem but he wouldn’t respond or provide any support for his claim.  The county IT department spent thousands of taxpayer dollars investigating Pruett’s alleged issue and could not find a security breach.

PRUETT’S CLAIM:  Diaz “steered a key government contract to a more expensive out-of-state bidder, costing Nevada County jobs and economic growth.”

TRUTH:  AtPac is a Placer County company.  Both Nevada County and Placer County stopped using AtPac software because it was outdated, inadequate for modern requirements and not certified by the state of California.  The lower price is quite misleading because it doesn’t reflect the large expense Nevada County was paying for additional staff and outside consultants to compensate for the deficiencies in the AtPac software. The new software meets the county requirements, enabling Diaz to streamline operations, reduce staff requirements and eliminate expensive outside consultants.  It costs the county significantly less than AtPac.  This was explained in detail by Diaz in a Union article.  As usual, Pruett ignores the facts and distorts reality.  Buying locally only makes sense when the local product does the job.

The rest of Pruett’s mailer is fluff and irrelevance.   The Clerk-Recorder office is a non-partisan Administrative position.  Party affiliations are irrelevant.   The state association of Clerk-Recorders has chosen not to take a position on the voting initiative just as they feel Clerk-Recorders should avoid any appearance of bias by never openly taking positions on measures or candidates.  Ethical Clerk-Recorders like Diaz are rigorous about keeping politics and partisanship out of our elections office.  Pruett claims that he will be “fair and non-partisan” yet he continues to attack Diaz for the exact qualities we need in a Clerk-Recorder.  Actions speak louder than words.  Pruett says one thing but does the opposite.

Other concerns about Pruett:

1.    He has not provided any details about past business or employment history to demonstrate that he has the management experience needed to run the Clerk-Recorder office.   “Small business owner in Grass Valley” doesn’t mean anything.  What kind of business?  Doing what?  For how long?   He was working at a law firm in Auburn last year but he never mentions that. Why not?  Exactly what has he ever done to justify us trusting him in this important management position?  The silence is deafening … and a major red flag.

2.    Pruett has a conflict of interest running for Clerk-Recorder because AtPac is backing Pruett and simultaneously suing Nevada County over software selection for the Clerk-Recorder office.  

For those who think partisan politics should be a factor for this position:  Have you forgotten the Kathleen Smith fiasco?   Do you really want our elections and critical records controlled by someone who won’t (or can’t) give us any evidence that he has any relevant management experience?
 
Diaz is a professional Clerk-Recorder.   He was elected president of and is currently secretary of the state Clerk-Recorder association.   He is known and respected by current and former Clerk-Recorders throughout the state.  He is running for this position because this is what he wants to do.   We can be confident that he will be focused on this job and will not be using it as a stepping stone to other elected offices. 

Diaz has 20 years experience and a proven track record.  He cleaned up the chaos left by his predecessor, streamlined the office, improved computerization and reduced.expenses.  Nevada County is fortunate to have someone with his experience --- someone who has effectively run elections in the large community of San Francisco and has done an excellent job for Nevada County.

Retain Greg Diaz for Clerk-Recorder..