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Barrish files to run for Hillsborough Clerk of Courts

Posted Oct 21, 2011 by Christian M. Wade

Updated Oct 21, 2011 at 02:34 PM

Republican Scott Barrish is challenging Pat Frank for the Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts.

Barrish, of Valrico, filed paperwork this week to run for the low-profile but powerful position in the 2012 elections. He ran for a seat on the Hillsborough County School Board in 2010, but withdrew due to an illness, he said.

He is a social worker by trade but has been working as a security officer for the past two years. He is the acting chairman of the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County, a group that works with children, and sits on other boards and committees.

He has a campaign Website here and Facebook page with details about his background.

In campaign statement, Barrish said he is running for the clerk of courts to “return accountability to government.”

Frank, a Democrat, resigned her seat as a Hillsborough Commissioner in 2004 to challenge Commissioner Chris Hart, a Republican, for the clerk seat, and won. Frank replaced Richard Ake, who retired after 18 years as clerk. She won another term in 2008 after nobody challenged her.

The clerk, a four-year term, oversees more than 900 employees, with an annual budget of nearly $70 million, and serves as a gateway to the county’s court system.

In addition overseeing the court system, the clerk is also comptroller for the county, overseeing a $1.8 million investment portfolio. The clerk also serves as custodian of court records, processes civil and criminal court cases, and conducts mortgage foreclosures and tax-lien sales.

Frank, who is recovering from open-heart surgery, has not said if she will be running for reelction in 2012. There are no term limits on the clerk of courts seat. As of Friday, no other contenders had filed to challenge Frank.