A crowded field has been set in the race for Warren County Circuit Clerk, with three challengers having filed to try to unseat the incumbent.

Warren Circuit Clerk Brandi Duvall is seeking a third six-year term in office, running as a Republican after winning her two previous elections as a Democrat.

Duvall has two Republican challengers in the primary election – Gordon Turner, a current detective for the Warren County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, and Bonnie Williams, who serves as the grand jury coordinator for the commonwealth’s attorney.

Sonya Kilgo Corder, a former deputy clerk who lost to Duvall in 2018 when she ran as a Republican, has filed as a Democratic candidate in this cycle. Corder has no opposition in the Democratic primary race.

Circuit court clerks manage the records of the county’s circuit and district courts, record legal documents, receive lawsuits, schedule juries and are present during trials, maintain the jury system, receive and disburse money, administer oaths and handle affidavits.

In order to run for circuit clerk, a potential candidate has to pass a 150-question exam given by the state Administrative Office of the Courts with at least a 70% score, answering questions about topics covered in the Circuit Court Clerks Manual, Clerks Accounting Manual, Clerks Code of Conduct and Judicial Branch Personnel Policies.

Sitting circuit clerks are exempt from the exam requirement.

Duvall’s campaign materials hold out her experience both as the sitting clerk and her previous four years working in the clerk’s office before first being elected in 2012.

Duvall touts a total of 29 years of experience in business, accounting and office management skills that have transferred to her current position managing more than 40 employees.

“My office runs like a well-oiled machine and I don’t see why it would be necessary to elect people with no experience to work in the office,” Duvall said. “That would cause setbacks for the staff and setbacks for the court system … I don’t see any room for improvement, honestly, just because I feel like I have efficient and competent staff.”

The incumbent said that cumulative experience will be crucial when it comes to overseeing the county court system’s records-keeping operation as the state embarks on a transition to a fully electronic records management system.

“It is a huge change for local attorneys and agencies who file documents with my office daily, I feel like I have the knowledge and experience to see this through completely and I would like to think this transition can be completed by the end of a third term for me,” Duvall said.

Duvall said she changed her party registration two years ago.

“Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, I serve the citizens of Warren County equally and fairly,” Duvall said. “This is a partisan race for a nonpartisan job. Our political affiliation doesn’t affect the job we do.”

Turner, a 12-year detective with the commonwealth’s attorney’s office, has built a career in law enforcement, coming to the Warren County Justice Center from the Bowling Green Police Department, where he also worked as a detective and retired after 20 years.

That experience has put Turner in plenty of courtrooms, and he says gives him insight into improving the functions of the circuit clerk’s office in relation to the other offices of the local judicial system.

“I have seen a lot of (employee) turnover in the last few years, and my main focus would be on retention … I want to make this a place they can’t wait to get to work to,” Turner said. “I also want to have a great working relationship with every office within the justice center.”

Williams has spent the past 16 years as the grand jury coordinator for the commonwealth’s attorney’s office, organizing the grand jury dockets and developing and managing felony indictments, and has more than 25 years of court processing experience, which she said she would call upon if she is elected.

“The growth of Warren County has been substantial year after year, and the caseloads have grown for everyone, so I’ve been through every season of growth here as far as the felony cases here in Warren County,” Williams said. “I’ve seen firsthand how agencies and offices in this building need to have good working relationships and communicate with each other. That benefits each agency here as well as the community.”

Corder is currently an administrative assistant at Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College’s Allied Health program.

Prior to that, though, she spent 16 years at the circuit clerk’s office – the last 10 months of that as chief deputy clerk under Duvall.

Corder said employee retention is a priority for her as a way to ensure more knowledgeable, efficient service.

“I really feel I have a great knowledge of how that office needs to be run,” Corder said. “I feel that it’s important that we take care of the customers. I think if we can maintain the employees that we have that have the knowledge they need to take care of the public when they come in to do whatever business they have with the court, they’re going to have experienced employees that will be able to take care of them and not have to transfer them to somebody else.”

Corder said she was a Democrat who changed her party registration to Republican in 2018 so she would have more time to get her message to voters, when she was the only Republican candidate running.

In this cycle, Corder said she filed as a Democrat for the same reason, to have more opportunities to meet the voters ahead of the general election.