Mary Alphin announces run for Lenoir Superior Court Clerk

Mary Alphin, Lenoir County Assistant Superior Court Clerk, announced Dec. 28 her bid to move up to the top job.

Currently, clerk Dawn Stroud is not seeking reelection and will step down to spend more time with her family.

Alphin said she filed for the post at 11 a.m. on Dec. 8. That same day, the North Carolina Supreme Court temporarily stopped all public office filings for the 2022 primary election over new congressional maps. No one else has filed before or on that date.

The added responsibility of possibly stepping into Stroud’s shoes has not put added pressure on her, she said. Alphin currently supervises 17 people in the Clerk’s office, according to the release.

“In all honesty, the only added pressure of the job is having to campaign for the position with each election cycle. I am confident that I am the most qualified and knowledgeable candidate for the post but ensuring that Lenoir County constituents know this is another story. I take my job very seriously and have for the past 15 years. I feel that the responsibilities and duties of the job itself would not add any pressure," Alphin said.

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Stroud said deciding to retire was not a decision that was taken lightly – it is a position she has held for 20 years; she’s been elected five times.

Stroud added that she hired Alphin approximately 15 years ago as her bookkeeper where she worked in the criminal and civil division. Some of her responsibilities in the clerk’s office are handling child support, civil cases, motor vehicle seizures, vehicle liens, bonds, foreclosures, civil paperwork, small claims, and special proceedings, among others.

Clerks are elected to four-year terms and are responsible for all clerical and record-keeping functions of the district and superior court and carry out certain judicial functions. They are also ex-office judges of probate. In addition, they have jurisdiction over guardianships, divorces, adoptions and name changes. North Carolina has 100 superior court clerks – one for each county.

Alphin has lived in LaGrange for 34 years with husband John. She has two children and four grandchildren.

This article originally appeared on Kinston/Jones Free Press: Lenoir County Assistant Superior Court Clerk announces bid for top job