Barb Ettleson to run for Winneshiek County Recorder

A rural Decorah woman, Barbara Ettleson, has filed nomination papers to run for the position of Winneshiek County Recorder in November.

Ettleson has served on the Oneota Community Cooperative Board and People for Animal Welfare (PAW) Board. She is an appointee of the Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors to the Upper Iowa Explorerland Board and she was co-chair of the Democratic Party during the 2008 election. She has owned a small consulting business for the last 23 years which specializes in organizational and personnel management. She has extensive experience in training employees and managers, strategic planning and conflict resolution. Prior to owning her own business Barb worked as a government employee, she directed the automation of key services for the public she served.

Ettleson says she is running for the Recorder's Office because the Recorder's Office needs to improve its service levels and the timely release of public information. Ettleson says this can be accomplished through automation and on-line access of real estate transactions, birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, passport applications and recreational vehicle, hunting and fishing licenses. She says automating Recorder Office functions will improve public access, response time, and accuracy and reliability of information. Presently, the Winneshiek County Recorder's Office, unlike over 62 per cent of the County Recorder Offices in Iowa, has not chosen to provide on-line and automated services for many public records and vital records and recreational vehicle license applications.