On Thu, 21 Oct 2004, mlh wrote: > Anyhow, if there are any Washtenaw County voters on > this list, you might be interested to know that the > long reigning County Clerk, Peggy Haines, is finally > being challenged for this elected position by Lawrence > Kestenbaum. Mr. Kestenbaum seemed to take an > interest in the genealogy issue back in 2002, and I > would have to believe he would make more of an effort > to assist genealogical researchers. You might want to > keep this issue in mind when you vote for the County > Clerk if you are a registered Washtenaw Co. voter. I very much appreciate this endorsement, and I welcome the support of genealogists who are concerned about access. I myself have been very frustrated by the County Clerk's policy on death records. I tried to change the policy while I was a county commissioner, but as you know, the Clerk has final authority. Of course, there are other issues in this election. Given the push to get more services and records online, I believe the Clerk should be someone with some background on computers, networks, and computer security. The incumbent county clerk has never faced a serious challenger before. Moreover, I am running on the Democratic ticket, and in Washtenaw County, this will be the most Democratic year in modern times. Again, many thanks! Larry --- Lawrence Kestenbaum, polygon@potifos.com Candidate for County Clerk/Register, http://KestenbaumCampaign.com The Political Graveyard, http://politicalgraveyard.com Mailing address: P.O. Box 2563, Ann Arbor MI 48106