Mary Ellen Dunlap Sworn In as Cochise County Clerk of the Superior Court

At noon today (January 3, 2011), more than 100 people gathered at the Cochise County Courthouse in Bisbee, Arizona. We were there, most of us, to watch Mary Ellen Dunlap be sworn in as the new Clerk of the Superior Court.

As I found a spot against the back wall in a standing room only courtroom where the ceremony would take place, one thing seemed crystal clear: At least here in the Arizona border country where we take such things as patriotism and public service seriously indeed, this was a very. Big. Thing. With the courtroom jammed to capacity and overflow packing even the adjoining jury room, with distinguished guests that included most of southern Arizona's state legislators and most of the Justices sitting on our state's Supreme Court bench...yeah. Very big.

But first we all had to get there. If you're not a lifetime local (as I'm not), and especially if you've never lived around hardcore open pit mining (which I have, though that was the Berkely Pit at Butte, Montana rather than the Lavender Pit at Bisbee, Arizona)...well then, the area itself is an eye opener. The county seat for Cochise County may lack the population numbers of Sierra Vista (thankfully!), but what it lacks in size it gains in color.

Although the swearing in of Mary Ellen Dunlap was definitely the main event--as acknowledged by the Judge presiding over the proceedings--there were actually a number of Judges who needed to be sworn in as well. Two things stood out about that:

1. The Clerk of the Superior Court, being acknowledged as the main event today, is in a sense a more crucial position than that of a Judge who hands down decision after decision from the bench. Which makes sense if you think about it: If the Clerk does her job well, it makes life easier for both John Q. Public and the Court. If not...you do the math.

2. John F. Kelliher, who was sworn in (after Mary Ellen, please note!) as Judge of the Superior Court, bodes well to run a Court of which we Cochise County citizens can be proud indeed. Yep, I voted for him, just as I did for Mary Ellen Dunlap. When he spoke to the assemblage, it was from the heart. In fact, he had a bit of a "John Boehner moment", visibly struggling with his emotions as the full meaning of his election to serve at this level nearly overwhelmed him. He understands and underscored his commitment to following the law--not his personal opinions--in his professional work during the months and years to come.

I was impressed.

Mary Ellen is being presented last in this article, definitely a case of last but not least. More like the bull riding at your local rodeo, positioned as the final event because nobody in the stands is going to head out before the last fire-breathing Brahma exits the chutes.

There's no way I'd have missed seeing Mary Ellen Dunlap being sworn in as Clerk of the Superior Court. Of all the many solid, hard-charging candidates who took the time to visit our Palominas Tea Party meetings during the 2010 campaign season, this lady struck me as Number One. Superstar. (I categorically deny that I'm prejudiced in her favor just because of her slight resemblance to Sarah Palin!) We the People needed to elect this committed public servant!

Thankfully, we did just that.

She's an ultra-qualified candidate for the position, and she's an inspiration to others every day of her life.

A few highlights from the main event:

1. Each person being sworn in took the oath on a Bible and swore to uphold both the Constitution of the United States of America and the Arizona State Constitution...and to defend both Constitutions against enemies from both without and within..."so help me God". We need more folks who mean what they say when they take those oaths. Mary Ellen Dunlap is one person who does. (So is Judge John F. Kelliher.)

2. Her husband, Kevin Dunlap, and also her son, Paul, held the Bible during the ceremony. That had to be an awesome experience for both of them.

3. State Senator Gail Griffin, long a friend of Mary Ellen's, spoke from the podium following the ceremony. There was a lot of grinning going on between the two ladies.

4. When Mary Ellen herself spoke, she reminded us (not that many in the room had likely forgotten) of her many years of experience working for the Clerk of Court and her (Mary Ellen's) commitment to serving the people of Cochise County to the absolute best of her ability. Which, in case you don't know her, is pretty cottonpickin' awesome.

5. She started to return to her seat...but was reminded that she was now the Clerk of the Superior Court. Why not sit in the Clerk's seat?

Oh, yeah!

As people lined up to congratulate the new Clerk (after Court was dismissed), she handed each individual a big ol' individually wrapped cookie. Not just any cookie, either, but a cookie baked by Copper Creek Cookie Company of Tucson. It had a special feature: A snapshot of Mary Ellen's campaign photo with the caption: Mary Ellen Dunlap (above the portrait)...and Clerk of the Superior Court (below the portrait). The picture looked like paper but was actually edible, made of starch, rice, and food coloring only.

(Cookie photo missing due to cookie being eaten before camera could exit camera case.)

Note: Mary Ellen graciously handed me a second cookie, one to take home to Pam (my wife--who happens to be one of Dunlap's biggest fans). If I beg and say pretty please, maybe my Pammie will dig it out of her special hiding place as long as I promise to hunt it with the camera only...not tonight, though. This campaign will require cautious planning.

Summary: This it what it's all about. As they say, all politics is local. At the county level, it's easy to see when the voters have been scammed and when they've gotten it right. In the case of Mary Ellen Dunlap, Clerk of the Superior Court in Cochise County, Arizona...we definitely got it right.

 Update Jan. 4:  Whew!  Pam let me get close enough to the awesome cookie to take a quick photo.  Here 'tis!