Lyon County clerk candidate Tammy Vopat
October 27, 2008
Republican Tammy Vopat is running for Lyon County clerk.
Moderator: Good evening. Our chat guest tonight is Tammy Vopat, Republican candidate for Lyon County Clerk. Vopat is a lifelong Emporian and this is her first run for political office. She currently works in the personal property division of the Lyon County Appraiser's Office, where she's worked for six years. She came to the Appraiser's Office from Birch Telecom. Vopat has been married toher husband, John, for nearly 20 years. They have two children and three grandchildren. We will start with a question about qualifications.
moderator: Why do you feel that you are qualified to be the county clerk?
Tammy Vopat: I bring with me to this position 4 years experience in the human resources with maintaining employee personnel records, scheduling, personnel issues, etc. I also now have 7 years experience in county government, I have held the position of the Lyon County Personal Property Supervisor in the Appraiser's Office. This has afforded me the opportunity to work directly with the County Clerk's Office and staff. I value over 4000 personal property accounts and those values are then certified to the County Clerk. I have a proven record with Lyon County.
Moderator: Just a quick correction on the introduction, Tammy Vopat tells me she has now been at the Appraiser's Office for seven years.
moderator: What research have you done to prepare you for this job?
Tammy Vopat: I first talked with Karen Hartenbower, Lyon County Clerk and her Deputy, Lanny Linebarger about this position and the duties of the County Clerk. There are so many different functions in the clerks office and I wanted to understand all aspects of the position before making my decision to run for office.
moderator: What things do you think run well in the county clerk office right now?
Tammy Vopat: I have witnessed by working with the clerks office that the staff in that office work well not only on their own, but as a team. They are friendly and knowlegable. I know of no problems with the election process as it is handled by that office.
jhawker1957: There is a rumor going around Emporia that your highest level of formal education is a General Education degree (GED) Can you please clarify for me what is your highest level of formal education?
Tammy Vopat: My experience is my education, I do have a GED, I also have completed a management course, several classes at the Flint Hills Vocational Technical School including office skills, several computer classes, and since with the county I have completed all the Kansas Dept. Of Revenue courses required for my position including, Mapping, Reading Deeds and Legal Descriptions and working with GIS(Global Information System). All of these learned skills will be of a great use in the position of County Clerk. I learn fast and have common sense and proven people skills.
moderator: We know the county clerk is in charge of voting, but that doesn't happen often. What does the county clerk do the rest of the year?
Tammy Vopat: The clerk is responsible for maintaining the land records for the county, taking the minutes at the commission meetings weekly, accounting, ordering office supplies for the general supply room, assisting taxpayers with Homestead, selling permits and maps and being a spokesperson for the public.
moderator: What things do you look to improve in the county clerk office if you are elected?
Tammy Vopat: I will know more of the changes or improvements that need to be made, or that I would like to make when I am elected County Clerk and am in the office to make a fair judgement. I look forward to bringing with me the best in customer service, and will look to initiate cost saving ideas while maintaining quality and efficiency.
moderator: As you have campaigned throughout the county, what have you heard from voters about what they want to see in the county clerk's office?
Tammy Vopat: From the comments along the way, what I have learned is that people want most of all is good customer service and I will ensure that they will get the best. Most of all they want to see me as County Clerk!
Moderator: That's all the time we have for Tammy Vopat's chat tonight. Our thanks to her for making herself available and our thanks to those who submitted questions. At 7:15 p.m., we'll begin a chat with Vopat's opponent in the county clerk race, Democrat Mike Dorcey. Join us for that.