Orange County Register of Deeds: Amy McLamb

Name: Amy McLamb

Age: 52

Party affiliation: Democrat

Campaign website: mclamb4deeds.com

Occupation and employer: Assistant Register of Deeds, Orange County

1) Please tell us what in your record as a public official or private citizen demonstrates your ability to be an effective Register of Deeds? What would you cite as your biggest career accomplishments? 

I have been employed at the Register of Deeds office for over 26 years (the past 11 years as Assistant to current Register Mark Chilton) where I have been in charge of the daily operations. I have extensive knowledge and understanding of every legal requirement for every section of the office; recording, indexing, vital records, passports, finance, and administrative duties. I currently supervise 10 employees. I have been a results-driven professional and leader with a proven track record. 

I led the process to create, a passport acceptance facility in 2017, which now serves many people from surrounding communities and counties. I am responsible for managing this facility and the agents. 

I extensively reviewed the NC General Statutes and Guidelines pertaining to indexing and recording, and implemented changes according to the North Carolina General statutes, which streamlined the indexing of legal documents and maps.
I Created an electronic Indexing/Recording Manuel for staff which includes various information needed daily to accurately Index and record legal documents and maps.
In 2016 I Implemented a retention schedule for managing and maintaining records.

I began cross-training for all staff immediately in my role as Assistant Register. I assisted our IT Department with creating a Request for Proposal (RFP) for our new software system, and assisted with the implementation of the software in 2019, which provides online request for vital records, fraud alert notification, the ability to email uncertified documents and receipts to customers, required supervisor password for any changes made to a document, a detailed audit trail. The software system improvements I spearheaded have reduced recording time which also allows images to be accessed immediately.

I coordinated with our software vendor to have ALL documents digitized dating back to 1752. I managed the process of cleaning up our online records. I dealt with duplicate indices, indexed corporate charters, moved notary oaths to where they belong, returned numerous documents belonging to other counties to their origin, and indexed and digitized DOT Maps.

I led the process to create the ability to electronically assign Parcel identification numbers (PINs) on documents – eliminating the need to print 75, 000 – 137,000 pages per year, saving taxpayers thousands of dollars per year, while protecting the environment. I also lead the initiative to redesign our departments website to make it more user friendly.

I also brought forward the idea of a four day work week for staff (without affecting the hours of operation), helping to make Orange County government a better place to work. And I have worked hard to make the employment structure less flat – valuing the people who work here and giving them increasing pay and responsibility where warranted.

It is for these reasons that I am uniquely qualified for the office of Register of Deeds.

2) Describe the extent of your archival knowledge of Orange County’s public records system.  

The Register of Deeds is the legal custodian of its public records. For me this is a sacred duty. That’s why I have worked so hard to have professional conservation work done on Orange County’s Reconstruction-era marriage records. In many cases, these marriage licenses from the late 1860’s and early 1870’s are the first public records to document the lives of people who had only just been emancipated. I was not about to sit by and watch them slowly crumble.

We handle records in many formats, such as paper documents submitted in office, and by mail, as well as documents created, submitted, and recorded electronically. 

The proper handling of documents coming into the office is matter of North Carolina law. The requirements are technical and subtle; the knowledge and experience gained over the last quarter century cannot be faked. Further, the ultimate disposition of documents and records is a complex area of law that few are so familiar with. The North Carolina Minimum Indexing Standards, a set of regulations promulgated by NCARD. is the gold standard for indexing documents and careful adherence to its many subtleties is the key to protecting Orange County from liability for indexing errors.

So I am not only committed to preserving Orange County’s heritage, but also to swiftly and correctly handling the new documents that come across our counter every day.

3) What do you see as the three biggest challenges facing the Register of Deeds’ Office? How would you work to mitigate those challenges?  

Challenges we continue to face are:
1. Property fraud.
2. Improve online public records access.
3. Historical records conservation.

1. One way we have already tried to mitigate title fraud is by installing a Fraud Alert notification system. Any Orange County real estate owner can sign up to receive an email alert if a document with their name is recorded. This does not prevent fraud from happening, but it does allow a person to take immediate action when something is wrong.

Although our staff are trained to look for fraud, it can be hard to detect. While I am not at liberty to spell out the kinds of fraud indicators we look for, I can assure you that we can and do use our training and experience to enquire more deeply when suspicious documents appear.

2. I have identified some problems with older document data from Registers past. While there is nothing exciting about correcting point page errors from a few decades ago, these sorts of problems only go away by correcting them. It will take a deep level of understanding of our imaging system and the relational database behind our index in order to properly resolve these problems. I have the knowledge and experience to make that happen.

3. Wood pulp paper records from the 19th century are extremely susceptible to acidification. This is one reason I prioritized preserving Reconstruction-era marriage licenses. But there remain many more documents that need conservation – deed books, plat maps and other records from 150 years ago are all susceptible to acidification. As Register of Deeds, I will continue to make conservation of Orange County’s heritage a high priority while remaining budget conscious.

4) Do you believe the Register of Deeds’ Office is operating at maximum efficiency? If not, what ideas do you have to make it more efficient?

I can honestly tell you that when I became Assistant Register of Deeds 11 years ago, we were not operating at maximum efficiency. Employees were siloed into different areas of the office which meant we had to have more employees in case of illnesses. I proposed to Mark, and he agreed, to allow me to begin a program of cross training employees so that substitutes can fill in throughout the department when necessary. Between this cross training program and the new software system I spearheaded, we have been able to gradually reduce staff (through retirements) from 15 employees to 10 employees!

So, yes, I firmly believe that the Orange County Register of Deeds office is operating at maximum efficiency because we offer eRecording for faster processing which is approximately 80% of all records. All of our records have been digitized, we offer online Get Certificate now for vital records, fraud alert notification, and passport services. All staff have been cross trained in two or more sections of the office, and we provide exceptional customer service. Our office serves a large Hispanic population and could use additional bilingual speaking staff. There is always room for progress, and we will be ready to provide additional services and technology as needed.

5) Do you believe employees in the Register of Deeds’ Office should be permitted to refuse to perform duties on religious grounds? If so, under what circumstances? 

While I understand religious beliefs are protected and should be recognized, failing to perform the duties of this office is simply not tolerated. I will do everything in my power to ensure the duties are performed.

6) What steps would you take or technology would you use to make the clerk’s office more user friendly and accessible to the public?

Our online search capabilities are far more advanced than most counties in America. I frequently hear compliments on our system from professional title researchers. 

However, new folks learning to use the system sometimes need a little orientation. I believe that the Register of Deeds office, in partnership with the GIS staff in the Tax Office, should create a YouTube style video to give a quick tutorial on how to find your deed or your HOA documents. Hosting this video in a suitably prominent place on our website would go a long way toward making our county’s documents more available.

7) Identify and explain one principled stand you would be willing to take if elected that you suspect might cost you some points with voters.

If the Trump Administration and/or ICE seeks copies of Orange County’s birth records, I will do everything in my power to resist their efforts.

8) Are there any other issues you would like to address that did not appear on this questionnaire?

I have always been committed to finding collaborative solutions for the public and the county departments who depend on the Register of Deeds office. Over 26 years, I have
established a remarkable working relationship with staff, attorneys and paralegals, vendors, surveyors, and many departments within the county including; Board of County Commissioners, Human Resources, finance, Land Records, Tax, Planning and Zoning, the County Manager, the County Attorney, the Health Department, and Soil and Water Conservation. It is extremely important that the Register of Deeds maintain these relationships.