The office of clerk of the Pinal County Supreme Court has been a volatile position within the Republican Party and is again heading for a Primary Election battle as a political newcomer takes on the incumbent.
Scott McKee of San Tan Valley is challenging Amanda Stanford of Florence for the GOP nomination. McKee has worked in accounting and financial management most of his career. Stanford was first elected four years ago and had worked in the clerk’s office since 2007.
No other party placed a candidate on the ballot.
Though the office of Clerk of the Superior Court is mostly administrative, she said, political affiliation can play a part because, “legislation, court rules and administrative orders do impact the responsibilities and operations of the office regarding case flow, fees associated with various court filings, and statistical reports to name a few.”
The candidates provided the following information:
Scott McKee Why do you want this position? Why are you the right person for this job? There are no other candidates for the position of clerk of the Superior Court, so the winner of the Republican primary will have no competition in the general election. Learn more about this race in InMaricopa’s upcoming Election Guide, and question these candidates in person at the InMaricopa Town Hall Aug. 4 – MaricopaEvents.com. Amanda Stanford Qualifications: Why do you want this position? I have had the privilege of serving the people of Pinal County as the Clerk of the Superior Court for the last four years and would love the opportunity to continue to do so. The office has made many strides and has experienced a multitude of accomplishments since my coming into office such as: successful deployment of eFiling services, kiosk check-in for jurors, various training modules for continued staff development, and many more. What do you want to change about the office of the Clerk of the Superior Court? Why are you the right person for this job?
Residence: San Tan Valley
Age: 49
Occupation: Accounting
Family: Married for 24 years, six children age 11-23
Politics: Lifelong Republican; NRA life member, pro-life, advocate for victims’ rights
My purpose for running is to serve as the statesman for the people of Pinal County. The Pinal County Clerk’s office should be managed with fairness, integrity, and efficiency. Our justice system, judges and all citizens of Pinal County deserve a leader they can trust.
My strong leadership, organizational skills and commitment to you the citizens and our judicial system make me a great candidate for Clerk of the Superior Court in Pinal County.
Residence: Florence
Age: 34
Occupation/previous occupations: Town of Florence – Student worker co-op program during high school approximately 2000-2002; Pinal County Clerk of the Superior Court’s Office (2002) – Part-time permanent Deputy Clerk; Town of Florence (2002-2007) – Cashier, Account Clerk, Accountant; Pinal County Clerk of the Superior Court’s Office (2007-2014) – Accountant II, Business Operations Manager; Pinal County Clerk of the Superior Court (2015-Current) – Clerk of the Superior Court
Family: Three children, Logan, 12; Lola, 9; Mitchell, 7
Years in Pinal County: 20
I am one class away from obtaining my MSA. I have worked in various positions within the Clerk of the Superior Court’s office for approximately 10 years. I have been accredited by the Administrative Office of the Courts to train Minimum Accounting Standards (MAS) within the Pinal County Clerk of the Superior Court’s office as well as the various courts and justice partners throughout Arizona. I am working towards completing the Certified Court Executive Program through the Administrative Office of the Courts. Once that certification is obtained, I plan to apply to participate in the Fellows program through the Institute of Court Management – a nationally accredited court management program.
This is an interesting question. The word “change” can sometimes have such a negative connotation to it. That being said, I don’t want to “change” anything within the Clerk of the Superior Court’s office. I want to continue to make “improvements” in all areas and aspects within the office of the Clerk. Staff development is very important to me. By involving my team of about 90 employees in various projects within the office, together, we have significantly reduced waste, continue to analyze and streamline processes, and put measures and goals into place to ensure that resources are being used appropriately and efficiently for the various services the Clerk of the Superior Court’s office provides. Currently, we are working towards making as many functions as electronic as possible. With the various improvements that have been made thus far, we have realized millions of dollars in savings within our various budgets. I have given back to Pinal County $1.6M dollars, saved from my Special Revenue Funds to help supplement the Pinal County General Fund. Fiscal stewardship and effective case flow management ultimately reduce costs, which in turn, reduces the need for tax increases or the need to cut any of the other various important Pinal County programs.
I believe in this office and what it represents. I have only ever worked for the government. I truly have the heart of a public servant. I bring my education and 10 years of experience specifically related to the Clerk of the Superior Court’s office. I would love to have the honor to continue to serve the wonderful citizens of Pinal County.
![An image of one of 56 elevation renderings submitted to Maricopa's planning department for the Elena Trails subdivison. The developer plans to construct 14 different floor plans, with four elevation styles per plan. [City of Maricopa]](https://www.inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/city-041724-elena-trails-rendering-218x150.jpg "Elena Trails releases home renderings")
![A blue square highlights the area of the proposed affordable housing development and "Restaurant Row" sitting south of city hall and the Maricopa Police Department. Preliminary architectural drawings were not yet available. [City of Maricopa]](https://www.inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/041724-affordable-housing-project-restaurant-row-218x150.jpg "Affordable apartments planned near ‘Restaurant Row’")
