Warren County Circuit Clerk Jerri Jordan has run unopposed since being elected in 1998, but is facing opposition this year from Probate Clerk Brenda Eggering, who is employed in the same office.

The two Republican candidates will square off in the Aug. 3 primary. The winner, who will be unopposed in the November general election, will serve a four-year term.

Jordan has been the circuit clerk and ex officio recorder of deeds since 1999. Prior to be sworn in, she was appointed to fill the last few months following a vacancy in the position.

She was re-elected in 2003 and 2007. Prior to 1999, she worked in the prosecutor’s office for five years.

“Integrity of the office is important to me,” Jordan said. “I believe we’ve been a good steward of the taxpayers’ money and we’re efficient.”

Eggering has been employed in the circuit’s clerks office since 1979 and currently works under Associate Judge Wes Dalton. She is an active member in the Missouri Professional Court Clerks Association.

She said now is the time to advance her career. She also wants to see better communication from the circuit clerk’s office, whether it’s dealing with the public or other elected county officials.

“I was raised where you treat everyone equally,” Eggering said. “Have professional courtesy, be helpful and be there for the people to help them when they need assistance when they come walking in.”

One of Jordan’s highlights, she cites, during her tenure has been the consolidation of the circuit and associate circuit offices. The consolidation occurred in Warren County in 2006. 

Jordan said the move helped eliminate the redundancy and expense of running two offices.

“The real big challenge was blending the two offices,” she said. “It was like being a parent watching your children grow. It was amazing. It’s been rewarding to me to watch the staff blend and become a cohesive team and respect what each other does.”

Eggering, meanwhile, has a different viewpoint. She said not enough cross training is occurring among the clerks in the office.

As it stands now, according to Eggering, if she was unable to perform her duties, there is no one with the knowledge to step into her position.

“It’s not working,” Eggering remarked. “There needs to be improvements in the consolidation with cross training.”

She also expressed concerns that a budget crunch may force the state to reduce the number of clerks working within an office, causing the circuit clerk to handle more of the cases.

“You got to know what the clerks are doing from supervising and being able to help,” she said.

Jordan acknowledged that due to the increase in court cases, the circuit clerk’s role has become more of an administrative position. She said she’s been told the circuit clerk’s office is one of the most efficiently run compared to others.

“It’s not possible anymore to handle all of the cases,” she said. “It will fail if you think you can do it. I want to make sure the staff is well-trained and cross trained so we can serve when somebody is out.”

A third candidate, Meg Lefferdink, announced last week she was withdrawing from the race though her name will still appear on the ballot due to the timing of her decision.

One of the reasons she cited for withdrawing from the race was to eliminate votes being split among three candidates. She also stated she was endorsing Eggering for the position.