MOUNT VERNON — On Election Day, incumbent Knox County Recorder John Lybarger faces a challenger in Lea Gallogly.
The Republican Lybarger is in his 15th year as recorder and still enjoys the job as much as he did on his first day of duty.
“I try to keep in tune with what the office needs and try to make the experience as pleasant as I can,” Lybarger said. “I like the interaction with people. I get to see everyone from across the state. We get a diverse amount of people that come in. It’s like any other job. If you keep on top of things and enjoy it, it’s fun.”
The county recorder is responsible for documenting the transfer of property deeds, maintaining those land records and keeping them constantly accessible to the public.
“I know you oversee, obviously, office workers. They all have their assignments and it would be my job to be the final eye and check and make sure it’s right at the end of the day,” said Gallogly, the Democratic Party candidate. “I would verify everything is done correctly — that everything is kept current and there are no mistakes. I know I have to be on top of things — to make sure it’s done right the first time. And if it’s not, then to make sure it gets corrected and doesn’t happen again.”
One of the biggest challenges facing the recorder is identity theft. The open records law allows anyone to come in and view the documents, but with identity theft, now the recorder has to be careful about the information, especially if it is on a Web site or other electronic device.
“I’ve taken the images off the Web site and just use an index. That way they know something is here, but the actual information is not available. It makes them come into the office,” Lybarger said. “What I want to start is a redaction program. With that, you can run the program on a (scanned) document and when it picks up things like the signature or Social Security number, it questions it and asks if you want to mask it. The redaction program is very useful because it does not compromise the original document.
“We scan all the documents so there is no paper. It cuts expenses and is environmentally smart. It’s safe and secure. We’re responsible with this information and I’m pretty proud of that fact.”
“Mr. Lybarger has taken the initiative to start correcting those issues (ID theft),” said Gallogly. “Whether it is him or I in the office, it will be taken care of. Because of identity theft, we have to make sure that part of the records is not available.”
Lybarger enjoys the interaction with people that the position has afforded him over the years.
“It’s amazing to me the amount of people that run through here and the amount of paper we run through,” he said. “I have no regrets for any of my time as recorder. I like my job and I think that shows.”
Gallogly may be new to the political process, but she is excited about the opportunity to serve Knox Countians.
“I was approached about (running for office). At first I thought, ‘I don’t know,’ but after I looked at the things I’ve done, I thought it would be another challenge,” she said. “With my experience and eye for detail, I thought I’d go for it. I want to see what I can do for Knox County residents. There are some things not available here that are available in other places. If we can implement some of those things and not increase the budget, I thought that would be a good challenge.”
