The Adams County Clerk and Recorder’s Office registers voters, records deeds, issues marriage and civil union licenses, passports and driver’s licenses, titles and registers automobiles and administrates elections. Democrat Cynthia Martinez — a current member of the Brighton City Council — is running to fill the spot of longtime Adams City Clerk & Recorder Karen Long. Stan Martin, a small businessman, is the Republican candidate in the race.
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Martin, Martinez vie for Adams County clerk and recorder
By COURTNEY OAKES, Staff Writer
Long under the direction of Karen Long, the Adams County Clerk and Recorder’s Office will be under new leadership for the next four years.
After serving three terms in office, Long is term-limited, so Republican Stan Martin and Democrat Cynthia Martinez both seek to replace her.
The Adams County Clerk and Recorder’s office registers voters and administrates elections, records deeds, issues marriage and civil union licenses, passports and driver’s licenses and titles and registers automobiles.
Of the two candidates, Martinez currently holds an elected position, as November marks her seventh year as a Brighton City Councilwoman and she also made a bid in Brighton’s mayoral race in 2009, which she lost to Dick McLean. Martinez would have to “sadly give up the last year of my term” if she’s elected to the clerk and recorder position, but she’s eager to put her elected experience and the legal knowledge and management skills she acquired in 25 years in the legal field into practice.
“The clerk and recorder’s office is a perfect position for my background because of the statutes and because it is governed by all the law,” she said. “I’m not saying I know everything, but I’ve been exposed to it. I’ve worked for some of the best attorneys who have taught me a lot and I’ve taught them a lot. I believe I’m well-rounded, especially having managed employees. One of the biggest issues is understanding employees and I’ve been a worker bee for a long time, so I understand.”
Among the issues in the race is the question of Martinez’s residency in Adams County, which Martin challenged with a lawsuit claiming she and her family live in Lafayette — part of Boulder County — which a judge dismissed in September. Martinez also has a residence in Lafayette, but has spent the better part of the past 10 years living in Brighton.
“This is my first bigger county campaign and people definitely attack you differently on this level,” Martinez said. “They are always going to attack you personally and that makes me sad for my family. … I just tell them don’t pay attention to the negative things and I keep a positive sense of where I’m going. I’m a smiley person and you aren’t going to make that go away.”
Martin, who lists 10 years of management experience at StorageTek and has been the owner and president of Martin Custom Construction, Inc., for the past 13 years, believes he can offer election integrity, fiscal accountability and improved service to the office if he’s elected.
“I believe Adams County citizens deserve to be represented by one of their own,” said Martin, a Brighton resident. “Someone who is invested in Adams County, not Boulder. … And I believe the clerk is our most important elected office in county government in that is has the great responsibility of overseeing our election process and upholding our constitutional laws.”
As far as priorities if he is elected, Martin plans to conduct a series of forums with citizens and to listen to the office staff on what it needs to better do the job.
While he runs for an office in Adams County, Martin is also part of a lawsuit against the county as the president of the Stop Stormwater Utility Association. The group is challenging Adams County’s stormwater utility fee on the grounds that it violates TABOR.
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Cynthia Martinez is a small business owner and is starting her seventh year on the Brighton City Council who counts 25-plus years in the legal field and experience with a variety of boards and commissions. Martinez, also a member of the Brighton and Metro North chambers of commerce, said she desires to provide quality services to Adams County citizens and vows to be responsible, accountable and ethical to citizens and employees pursuant to Colorado State Statute. Info — cynthiamartinezforadamscounty.com/
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Stan Martin has 10 years of experience in corporate management and is a longtime small business owner. He is a third generation Adams County native and currently resides in Brighton, where he was born before growing up in Glenwood Springs. Martin studied Wellness and Business Managment at Colorado State University and has owned and operated a general contracting business, Martin Custom Construction, Inc., for the past 13 years. He hopes to bring an emphasis to customer service to the Adams County Clerk and Recorder’s Office. Info — www.electstanmartin.com
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https://tracer.sos.colorado.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/CandidateDetail.aspx?Type=CA&SeqID=29182
[/wc_accordion_section] [wc_accordion_section title=”Stan Martin Finance“]
https://tracer.sos.colorado.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/CandidateDetail.aspx?Type=CA&SeqID=29182
[/wc_accordion_section] [wc_accordion_section title=”Cynthia Martinez Endorsements“]
Coming soon.
[/wc_accordion_section] [wc_accordion_section title=”Stan Martin Endorsements“]
Coming soon.
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