Candidate Paul Dwight outlines his three priority issues:
Technology Innovations
Projections for population growth in Harris County over the next 20 years are staggering. The court system will see a corresponding increase in caseload. The District Clerk’s Office must improve its technological capabilities to keep ahead of the growth curve. This requires a tech savvy leader who will seek out the best solutions utilizing in-house staff and third party vendors. The effectiveness and efficiency of the office will be driven by finding innovative solutions to case filing and document storage.
A major portion of my responsibilities with AMC Theatres involved developing computer technology that transformed the customer experience. Lessons learned in the private sector can be adapted to county government to improve efficiency.
Cost Control
As one of the largest departments in county government, the District Clerk’s Office must take the lead in finding cost efficiencies in its operations. Technological advances should deliver a pay back in terms of payroll and document storage savings. Several county offices maintain their own Human Resource and Information Technology departments. I will seek out opportunities for cross department cooperation which should lead to cost savings by eliminating redundant activities.
Jury Duty Enhancements
One of the main functions of the District Clerk’s Office is to provide a pool of prospective jurors to the courts. The rate at which citizens respond to jury summons notices can run as low as 20{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986}. This creates additional mailing costs for follow-up notices to no-shows. Studies show that the primary reason people fail to report for jury duty is the loss of pay due to missing a day of work. While major employers often pay employees in full for days missed due to jury duty, people working for small companies and the self-employed do not get paid. Jurors currently are paid $6 for the first day and $40 for any additional days.
Admittedly, this is a difficult problem to solve. My approach would not be to increase the rate of pay for jurors, which would result in a huge cost increase for the county. I would advocate a system that provides incentives to employers who fully compensate employees for jury duty. Employers who participate would receive recognition as good corporate citizens; similar to those who provide matching funds for charitable donations made by employees.
You can learn more about me and my campaign at www.pauldwight.com.