Name: Gloria Barnhart 

Age: 62

Marriage  Status: Married forty years to William Barnhart

Education: 

A.A. Degree from Harford Community College

B. A. Degree from University of Baltimore in

Jurisprudence J.D. ( Juris Doctor) University of Baltimore School of Law

Work Experience:

Practiced Law for over twenty-three years and am still licensed to practice in Maryland and the Federal Court System, I am, for most part, retired but very reluctant to part with the licenses I worked so hard to obtain. 

Currently have a Real Estate Broker's License and serve as the Broker of record for Barnhart Realty, Inc. and Neptune Property Management, both are primarily, family run businesses.

Previous Political Offices Held:  

Until this year, I have never sought or held public office.  However, I have held an office in Rumsey Island Resident's Association, Served as Chair of the Harford County Public Library Board of Trustees, and most recently as the President of Harford County Public Library Foundation.

Brief Biography: 

I have been a Harford County resident for over forty years: have three grown sons and two grandchildren.  I have over thirty years of various community volunteer work, from cub scout den mother to several recent forages into local streams and creeks to pick up litter with the Joppatowne Garden Club. My passion has always been Books and libraries. This led to 12 years of service on the HCPL Board of Trustees, where I learned the budgetary process and the importance of a personnel policy applied equally and fairly. I was appointed to represent this County at the Governor's Conference on Libraries and Information Service and as well as the Regional Planning Council's Committee on Libraries and Information Service. Most recently, over the past six years, I helped to successfully launch the Harford County Public Library Foundation.

1.  Why are you running for this office? 

I was nominated to run for Clerk of the Court because my educational background and experience are a perfect match for the qualifications necessary for this office.  I am leaving a comfortable retirement to run for this office because the duties and the responsibilities of the Clerk of the Court are too important to be neglected and mismanaged any longer.

2.  What does the Clerk of the Court Do?

The duties of Clerk of the Court are clearly defined in the Annotated Code of Maryland, Courts & Judicial Proceedings Section 2-201-213.  Basically the Clerk is responsible for all of the books, records and papers ever filed with the Court, including Deeds, Morgages, Liens, Judgments, Releases and Military Discharges; the Clerk is required to make a record of all Court Proceedings, both criminal and civil, to provide copies of  documents under seal to the public when requested, to issue Writs when directed by the Court, to collect appropriate fees, to prepare the budget for the Court House and oversee its implementation, to issue business licenses, to perform any other duty required by law or rule; and to administer oaths, including marriage vows. The Clerk oversees a staff of over forty deputy clerks, and is responsible for analizing and evaluating all the procedures used in completing the numerous tasks of the Clerk's office. It is chiefly an administrative/ managerial position. It also requires the ability to co-operate and work with the other public offices housed in the Court House, as well as the Administrative Office of the Courts in Annapolis, which supplies the Clerk with ongoing upgrades in Information Technology .

3.  What in your mind is the biggest problem facing Maryland as it enters the 21st century and how do you expect to correct this problem?

This question is directed to elected officials that actually set policy: that is not the function of theClerk of the Court. The Clerk can only follow the rules and procedures set forth in law. However, yours is  an interesting question. In my mind there is no problem facing Maryland or America that cannot be solved by educated, dedicated, good willed people. Too often there is an unwillingness on the part of public officials to respect each other and different points of view. Each side is so adament about being right, or holding on to their position that the best solution is often overlooked because it may look like a compromise or weakness. Elected men and women of good will should be able to work together to find a reasonable solution to any problem, without  the fear that they are deserting a party dogma by reaching a compromise. Anger, arrogance, and greed seem to have replaced reason and a genuine desire to seek solutions for the common good. Your candidate's forum and making your students aware of the awesome responsibility they have in educating themselves about the issues and candidates, guarantees the selection of elected officials that can work together to solve the problems of the 21st century.