[Sidebar] The Worcester Phoenix
September 15 - 22, 2000

[Features]

Raymond V. Mariano
Clerk of Courts

Questions Answers
1. Historically, this is a low-profile job. Why should voters care about who is their clerk of courts?
 The clerk is the person elected to represent average citizens seeking justice from the court. Voters should be concerned that the average case takes more than three years to come to trial. They should be concerned that top officials have questioned the clerk's handling and integrity of important criminal evidence.
2. What does the clerk of courts do on a daily basis?
 The current clerk manages the paper flow and not much else. I want to solve the problems that face the court and average citizens, including reducing the three-year backlog, providing services to all areas of the county, and protecting the integrity of important criminal evidence.
3. Should the clerk of courts be a lawyer, and why?
 According to Attorney General Tom Reilly, the clerk doesn't need to be a lawyer. He or she needs to be a leader. In fact, there is no requirement in the law for the clerk to be a lawyer, and many clerks across Massachusetts who serve today are not lawyers.
4. What makes you the right person for the job?
 The current clerk has been a part of that office for 41 years. I want to bring the clerk's office into the 21st-century. Unlike my opponent, I am willing to accept responsibility for the problems facing the court and ask to be held accountable for finding the solutions.
5. Should the clerk of courts be an advocate for the public, like those who serve in other elected positions?
 The clerk is elected for only one reason: to speak for average men and women who seek justice in the courts. Unfortunately, the current clerk speaks only for a small group of attorneys. He has never advocated or fought for the citizens he was elected to represent. I will.
6. Describe, in your opinion, the current condition of the operations of the Superior Court.
 Today, it takes three, four, or five years for the average case to come to trial. That's inexcusable. Further, citizens outside of Worcester receive virtually no service in their region of the county. I want to change that. The clerk has been criticized for his handling of important criminal evidence.


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