Sylvester seeks office
Residence:
What position are you running for? Southern Aroostook Register of Deeds
What other political offices have you held? If none, what other offices, honors or titles have you earned? None. And, while this is an elected position, it isn’t really political in that there is a state statute that outlines the duties of this position. I am currently on the Hodgdon Planning Board as well being a Notary Public for the past eight years. I have served in the past as treasurer of the SAD 70 PTO and helped with many Hodgdon High School Project Graduation fundraisers. As a member of the Aroostook Riders ATV Club, I helped to design and publish the local trail map. I also volunteer time at the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce and have been a volunteer for the Houlton Historical and Art Museum.
What is your career background? I grew up in Linneus and graduated from Hodgdon High School. I married and moved out of the area. While my children were young I worked in the medical field, including doing patient registration in a four-doctor practice in Cary, N.C. I took evening classes at the Central Carolina Community College to learn computer applications and office management. I was employed by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension in their Chatham County office before moving back to Hodgdon.
I have been employed by Swallow Associates Land Surveying in Houlton for the past 12 years as office manager. With responsibility for all financial aspects of the business, I am knowledgeable in accounting using QuickBooks for day-to-day company operations. I also excel in client relations, being involved in projects from the first phone call to the project’s completion. Part of my job is being responsible for gathering research information including working with various Registries of Deeds, municipal and state offices and online sites. I use the Southern Aroostook Registry of Deeds regularly so I have an excellent working knowledge of what currently works and what needs improvement in regard to the Registry of Deeds.
What made you decide to run for this office? The Registry of Deeds is an important historical resource. Not only are current events recorded daily, they are the keepers of archival historical information on land transactions and other events dating back to the early 1800s when Aroostook County separated from Washington County. The Registry of Deeds can be a wealth of information for individuals working on family genealogy. Old deeds and maps can give clues to family history, supply names of spouses or determine locations of family homesteads. I enjoy our local history and want to help preserve these records for future generations and help the public access and use this valuable resource.
What do you see as the most important issue facing the community you will serve? We need to utilize the latest technology to help preserve and protect our historical information while improving public access. Finding ways to improve access while controlling the cost of the services can be difficult. I believe it will take time and creative thinking to meet this goal.
What do you see as your primary goal, if elected? While the Registry of Deeds is open to the public, their services are used most by attorneys, abstractors, real estate agents, surveyors and municipalities. I would like to strengthen the working relationship that the registry has with all these people, so that the Registry becomes the hub of the information wheel. One of my goals would be to update the town tax maps and commitment books available at the Registry of Deeds. This alone can reduce the phones calls fielded by small towns with limited manpower while making the information available every day to all who desire it.
Why should people vote for you? I believe I have the knowledge and skills necessary to improve the level of services offered to the public in this office.
