FLORENCE, SC  – Florence County Chief Deputy Clerk of Court Doris Poulos O’Hara announced Wednesday that she will seek the office of Clerk of Court in 2016.

O’Hara announced her candidacy at the Drive-In Restaurant.  She chose this place because she lost her father December 23, 2014.  Her father founded the 301 Drive-In 1956 and she felt this would be the perfect place to announce.

O’Hara grew up in Florence County and is a graduate of South Florence High School. She also attended Francis Marion College and has been with the Florence County Clerk of Court’s Office since August 1990 when she was hired as a legal record clerk in the office’s Register of Deeds division.

“I went into government because I was basically looking for a good, secure job,” O’Hara said. “I told the clerk of court then, ‘I’ll start at the bottom and work my way up.’”

And that’s exactly what she did. Two years after her start in the office, O’Hara was promoted to Family Court Legal Record Clerk. She then went on to become Deputy Clerk I for General Sessions Court and eventually rose to Deputy Clerk II Supervisor for criminal court, known in South Carolina as General Sessions court. In 2014, Florence County Clerk of Court Connie Reel-Shearin promoted O’Hara to Chief Deputy Clerk of Court.

Connie Reel-Shearin recently announced that she will retire at the end of this term, and O’Hara said the office’s top post is the next step for her.

“It’s really what I was groomed to do,” O’Hara said. “We all have our goals, and this has always been mine. I love my work, and I want to continue to help people and make a difference. This is the next step.”

The Clerk of Court’s Office is responsible for maintaining a record of all civil and criminal cases filed and heard in Florence County. On a daily basis, the office interacts with the public and attorneys performing several functions including the collection and disbursement of traffic fines, civil fees and child support. The office is also responsible for recording filed documents and maintaining a record of all court proceedings. The Florence County Clerk of Court’s Office currently employs about 48 people in its Register of Deeds, family court, General Sessions (criminal) and Common Pleas (civil) divisions.

If elected, O’Hara said she’d like to update equipment in the Register of Deeds division, including an upgraded AS400 program. The Common Pleas and General Sessions have an updated case management system in place and will soon convert to e-filing, which will allow all matters to be filed electronically.

“My understanding of the AS400 program is this will cost a lot of money, but we need to at least move in that direction,” O’Hara said. “With the Case Management System in place in the Common Pleas and General Sessions division, we will continue moving forward with technology.”

O’Hara said she’d also like to make some helpful improvements in the family court division. “I would like for every legal clerk who works in the courtroom to have a laptop. This way, information will be immediately available to them to help the judges, attorneys and clients,” O’Hara said.

The daughter of the George and Helen Poulos, O’Hara is married to Patrick O’Hara. The couple has one son, Joseph, and are members of the Greek Orthodox Church in Florence.-This information is from a Press Release.