Rachel M. Normandin

To the editor,

I gives me great pleasure to endorse Barbara Luther as our next Belknap County Register of Deeds. Barbara has worked in the Deeds' office for 23 years. She began as a copy clerk and rose through the ranks to head indexer, optical disk scanner, assistant to the Deputy Registrar and was appointed Deputy Registrar in 2006. She now serves as Commissioner Register of Deeds. In 2007 she was honored by the N.H. Association of Counties as the "Registry of Deeds Employee of the Year".

The Registry of Deeds office is very much a "public" entity of county government. Title examiners, attorneys and the public come in on a regular basis to examine the county records. The staff is always most helpful in assisting them to find whatever documents they are in need of.

As the country moves toward electronic recording of documents, Barbara has embraced new improvements in the Registry regarding recording techniques. In the last two years, all recordings have become automated to the point that they appear on the Internet within hours in order that the public may access the records from their office or home.

It is very important to elect an individual who has experience and knowledge in the every day operation of the Deeds' office. That person is Barbara Luther. She has acquired a wealth of information in all aspects of maintaining the records that contain the entire history of Belknap County. No small task, to be sure!. There are over 3.3-million records that need to carefully maintained at all times. Barbara has been serving as Commissioner Registrar for the past year and has been very successful in keeping the continuity and expertise that had been established by previous registrars, Everett "Bill" Wheeler and myself.

Experience! Experience! Experience! How very important it is for this office. The Registry of Deeds office generates millions of dollars in revenue for the State of New Hampshire and Belknap County. The Registrar is responsible for maintaining two separate sets of books for the State of Hampshire and another set exclusively for the county, all of which are audited annually. Honesty and integrity are imperative in this type of position. Barbara possesses those two outstanding qualities.

Hopefully, the voters of Belknap County will see fit to elect an individual who has worked her way up through the ranks and dedicated 23 years of her life to learning all of the laws and regulations relating to the recordation of documents. In electing Barbara Luther as Registrar of Deeds, the voters will receive a full-time working Registrar who is cooperative, unselfish, caring, conscientious, committed and loyal. Her work ethic speaks volumes of her ability to hold this position.

I ask the voters of Belknap County to please give serious consideration to electing Barbara Luther as our next Registrar of Deeds. You will not be disappointed!

Rachel M. Normandin

Laconia