The Local Source for News and Information Since 1980
Candidate Bio
I was born and raised in this county, and my roots here run deep – over 200 years deep. This isn’t just where I live. It’s who I am. I live near Preston and work in freight logistics at Trinity Logistics in Seaford.
I come from a family that believed in service above self. Whether it was through public service or volunteering, my family helped shape the values that guide me still: integrity, commitment, and standing up for your community when it matters most. They’re what I’m working to pass down to my three children, who are growing up right here in the same community that shaped me. Everything I do, including this campaign, is about protecting the kind of place they, and all of our families, get to call home.
Service has always been a part of my life. As a member of the Masonic Lodge and the Preston Lions Club, where I had the honor of serving as president for two terms, I’ve worked alongside others who care deeply about this community. I was also proud to help create the 10 Better Than Par charity golf tournament, in partnership with the Choptank Community Foundation, raising support for causes that make a real difference here at home.
I’m running for Register of Wills because I understand that this office is about more than paperwork – it’s about people. It’s about helping families navigate some of the hardest moments of their lives with compassion, respect, and dignity. It’s about being someone they can trust when they need it most. My campaign is built on one simple belief: we must guard what matters most: our families, our values, our community.
How does the office that you are seeking serve citizens in Caroline County?
The Register of Wills is a public service office: they are there for the people. They provide guidance, clarity, organization, through probate. They don't give legal advice, and they're not allowed to, but they can help steer people. Government is meant to be helpful during stressful times, not confusing, and I think that's where this office really can separate itself and stand alone. And my vision is to provide clarity and put it in layman's terms, not the court language.
I know firsthand what it’s like (as I am) currently working with my grandmother and father’s estates … all the little steps leading up to (the probate process) that people may not realize. I think sometimes people feel lost and overwhelmed, and they need to have that clarity of where to step.
If you do not have a will on file, (the office) can still support you in the steps of what you need to become the representative of the estate. A lot of people don't have (a representative), and that's not a hindrance. It may be a hurdle, but the Register of Wills is there to help guide you through the estate and steer you in the right path of what area you need to go next.
The Register of Wills (office) has got to be transparent. Sometimes, the hard truth people may not like, but the clarity and accuracy has got to be there. You have to be able to explain that to county residents, but deliver it in a way that you're not adding stress to them. This is their loved one's last wishes, and our job is to make sure it's properly handled with respect, with the dedication it deserves and to the fullest extent of their wishes. And we need to make sure that it's properly handled and filed properly. We need to make sure other parties understand, first and foremost, we're guarding what matters most, and that's my slogan, (because) that's their last will and testament.
If your office budget has significant budget cuts, how do you imagine you will handle this?
First and foremost, I (would) need to do a SWOT analysis to see what the budget is, where we're strong at where the weaknesses are, you know, where we have opportunities for improvement, and where there's threats, and even where the threats are. There's always room for improvement. And if you're not doing that daily, looking for improvements, you're going to be a dinosaur very soon.
I know usually the smaller counties get affected, especially on the Shore. We cannot jeopardize the accuracy and the clarity, but I think we can also continue to simplify and even digitalize more, and I think that will help offset some of the extra needs or extra process that we have. And when I think of my job right now, how many clicks it takes me to do something, my goal as a leader is to minimize the clicks, to speed up the process, while also delivering the results with accuracy, clarity, and (in) a timely matter. So you can't jeopardize the public service, the customer service, but you got to figure out a way to streamline and really cut out those costs with the Register of Wills. I know (the office) gets state budget money. They do take some in from the wills, stuff like that. There's only so much you can cut out from a standpoint of what they do, but I think there's ways to get more digitalized and keep the transparency. You’ve got to also make sure the safety protocol is there.
We need to make sure we are doing everything in our powers to streamline this, yet keep the clarity and the customer service to people. The worst feeling I have is when I go somewhere, and it's great speed, but I feel like a number. That is the worst feeling for me.
Your office is a state office serving Caroline County residents. How will you manage local needs with state requirements?
When I really look at the two, the one thing that stands out to me is way of life. We are not the constant hustle bustle on the Eastern Shore, especially Caroline County. It's adding clarity and putting the (state) the terminology in much more simplified terms. When things happen or when new rules come down, we need to be aware. We need to be knowing them, and we also need to be able to then explain them to people so they can understand it and what's happening, or what they may need to do. And I think that's the big gap between a lot of the state offices to county offices is just the clarity and the verbiage.
I think that's a big thing with this role, is making sure we communicate clearly on what being pushed out, but also what we need to properly do our jobs. And I think you can see that with certain things, where a lot of the government and the public offices don't always get the top-level things as early as some of the western shore offices get. (On the Eastern Shore), we tend to be the lower budgets, the more financially restricted things, and we have to do what we can do within those means and provide the actual service.
