Mary Ellen Dunlap Vs. Denise Lundin : Clerk of the Court in Cochise County

A local election like the race for Clerk of the Superior Court in Cochise County, Arizona between challenger Mary Ellen Dunlap and incumbent Denise Lundin can easily slip by unnoticed. Especially in 2010. Most of us tend to be focused on the national races--U.S. House and U.S. Senate races in particular--as we prepare to Take America Back just five days from now. Which is as it should be.

The flip side, of course, is that all politics is local. Where would Sarah Palin be today if she'd never run for Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska? We ignore the County-level stuff at our own peril. Especially when such a race involves the Court.

Enter incumbent Denise Lundin, whose flyer hit our mailbox recently--in duplicate. Mary Ellen Dunlap has had my vote in her pocket ever since she spoke at one of our Tea Party meetings in Palominas, but I had to admit Denise's campaign photo on those flyers looked mighty attractive. Until I realized why she looked so good: In that particular picture, she could be my fifth ex-wife's twin sister.

Well, except for the store-bought perfect smile that looks like it most likely cost more than Sadie and I ever made in a full year. No actual human being in born with teeth like that! (If you were, Denise, congratulate your parents for me in choosing their genetic mix extremely well.)

Confession time: This was one race I'd intended to sit out. Write nothing about it. Let the chips fall where they may, etc., etc. Root for Mary Ellen but no more than that.

Until.

Until a few entries on that Lundin flyer struck me as extremely offensive:

1. Under the heading of LEADERSHIP, "Denise Lundin" lists a number of fine accomplishments, then lists "Mary Ellen Suarez Dunlap" as having:

"No record".

This bugged me on two counts. Firstly, why include Mary Ellen's maiden name, Suarez? Dunlap herself does not do that. Is it to make it clear that her opponent has Hispanic blood flowing in her veins? Yet that would make no sense, since Lundin's own mother began life as Providencia Rodriguez. It may mean nothing, but it still set my antenna to buzzing.

The other count: No record? Her website (Dunlap's) states in part:

--16+ Years of Hands-On Experience in the Clerk of Superior Court Office Arizona

--Supreme Court Identified Her Efforts as "BEST PRACTICES"

Where I come from, that sounds like leadership to me. Leadership by example, which is the best form of leadership in pretty much any situation. It may be too late (with just five days until November 2), but if you lose by a vote or two, Ms. Lundin, blame your own flyer for firing me up enough to write this article!

2. The next nasty entry comes under "ACCOMPLISHMENTS" where she lists the following under "Mary Ellen":

--Devoted to helping an orphanage in Mexico.

Okay, so, after pinning her opponent down as a Suarez, she's now tying her to Mexico? What is that supposed to accomplish? Get all us white folks all ticked off 'cause Mrs. Dunlap just must be one of those cartel assassin drug smuggling human trafficking cartel associate marijuana bale-packing mule types...and we don't trust nobody who still deals with anybody south of the border? No? So then, what? Or maybe if she cares about the kids down south, she won't take care of the Clerk's duties?

I don't get it. Don't like it, either. Smells wrong. Maybe one of our local readers can clue me in on this one.

3. The final entries, under "FINANCIAL", detail Mary Ellen's specific troubles with keeping her bills paid over the years.

That one is at least understandable. It's standard politics these days, point out any public records on your adversary, sling whatever mud you can find, hope it sticks. Only it endears Mary Ellen Dunlap to me, not the other way around. If anybody understands the difficulty of making it through life these past few decades without running short of cash here and there, it's me.

It's probably you, too, come to think of it.

Now, this is dragging on, and we still haven't covered the only important thing--the one topic that goes completely un-discussed in the Lundin flyer: What sorts of experiences do people have when they come to your office to file papers? Eh? Are you on top of it, or is there reason for the voters in Cochise County (me included) to consider a change? Whaddya think?

When you're relatively new to an area, you need to compensate. Do some actual investigative reporting on occasion. My wife, Pam, has Cochise County experience going back for more than three decades, but I've only been a Hereford/Palominas resident since April 18, 2009.

However, I've met a lot of people, and some of them know a lot of other people. So I picked up the phone and started calling. Here are the "poll results" from seventeen (17) locals, each of whom has lived in the County for at least the past several years--with the majority having been here for 20 years or longer.

THE QUESTION: HOW HAS THE CLERK'S OFFICE BEEN TO DEAL WITH FOR YOU?

THE RESULTS:

1. Those who didn't remember dealing with the Clerk of the Court's office at all: 4.

2. Those who felt they'd been helped promptly, courteously, and professionally: 3.

3. Those who called for information and either could not get through or were given wrong information: 7.

4. Those who'd visited the office but received no help, being told to come back another day because the only person who could help them was not there that day (or otherwise unavailable): 6.

5. Those who knew someone whose court case was improperly delayed because the Clerk did not file statute-required papers in a timely fashion: 2.

6. Those who'd seen the Clerk herself (Denise Lundin) help out members of the public: 0.

7. Those who remembered Mary Ellen Dunlap from her time in that office: 8.

8. Those who remembered Mary Ellen Dunlap and intended to vote for her on November 2: 8.

That's about all the small-sample polling that was possible if this hub intended to see publication prior to the weekend. It seemed rather telling that 100% of those who'd dealt with Mary Ellen felt (sometimes rather strongly) that she'd be a definite improvement over the incumbent. One gentleman explained it this way:

"I've lived here all my life, I'm down at the Clerk's office every now and then, and I ain't once seen that Lundin lady so much as come out of her office to wave at us peasants in there to file papers. Before her, everybody was cross-trained, everybody knew every job in that place, and you never had to wait. For dang sure you didn't get told to come back another day!"

That reminded me of Mary Ellen's statement during her presentation to our Tea Party group that if elected, she would make cross-training one of her highest priorities, along with pitching in to help out the other clerks as needed. Sounds like she knows what she's talking about.

No record of leadership, indeed!

Dunlap 2010 and Remember in November--5!! Countem 5!! Days to go!!