March 29, 2024

Allan to seek re-election as county recorder

Jasper County Recorder Denise Allan announced her re-election bid last week.

Allan, who is currently serving her first term as county recorder will seek the office a second time, although she’s no stranger to the county offices. Allan has 27 years of service with the county, starting out as a real estate clerk in the county auditor’s office in 1991.

In a press release, Allan said she’s proud of what she’s accomplished as county recorder, but feels there’s still plenty of work to be done.

“I wanted to run again because to be honest with you, I love the job,” Allan said. “I feel like I’ve contributed a lot the first four years, and I’m looking forward to doing more in the next four years.”

During the three years she’s served as county recorder Allan said her biggest accomplishment has been digitizing all of the county’s real estate records and creating a database that allows those records to be searched online. Allan said Jasper County was the first county in the state to accomplish the goal, something she says has made it easier for residents to find vital information when they need it.

“I kind of like the fact that Jasper County was the first to have all their real estate records digitized and online and I’m proud of that,” Allan said. “I want to come up with other things that will make Jasper County a leader.”

Allan also started a service to allow payments by credit card and debit card, overhauled the recorder’s page on the Jasper County website, restarted a system of Department of Natural Resources renewals by phone, text and email and worked to streamline procedures in the recorder’s office. Despite the lengthy list of accomplishments, Allan said she still feels that there’s more to accomplish in the office.

“When I ran for office I had several things I was going to do and I’ve gotten them all done,” Allan said. “I’m kind of reassessing right now and deciding what I want to get done in the next four years.”

Michelle Smith, chair of the Jasper County Democratic Party, said she’s glad to hear Allan has decided to run again, she’s seen firsthand the changes Allan has made in the recorder’s office.

“I’m excited, she’s very knowledgeable and dedicated to her job, so I’m very excited that she’s running again,” Smith said. “I don’t see anybody that could do a better job than her.”

Allan said she isn’t sure if anyone will run against her. The filing date isn’t until March 28, but she wanted to get the word out as soon as possible to get started on her re-election campaign. Allan successfully ran against Marshall Critchfield in 2014 when she was the deputy recorder.

“I just like what I do, I like recording the documents, I enjoy that,” Allan said. “I have a great staff, I enjoy working with them, I’ve worked for the county for a long time and I feel like I’m making good changes and good contributions. I just like being here, I just like representing the county, it’s enjoyable for me.”

Contact David Dolmage at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or ddolmage@newtondailynews.com