Burns challenging Bullard for county clerk job

Tim Burns has his sights set on Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds Bill Bullard, Jr.’s job.

The Democrat from Clawson, who served on the county Board of Commissioners from 2007 to 2011, announced on Monday, April 2 that he is looking for his party’s nomination in the Aug. 7 primary election to serve as the county’s top elections official.

He said he had been considering another run for the county board when “all the schenanigans happened with the redistricting,” prompting some to approach him about running for county clerk.

“Some of the reasons people were reaching out to me was because they were concerned that no strong (Democratic) candidate had really stepped up to take charge of the race,” he said. “In the past, the Democratic Party has not really run a strong candidate for county clerk, so I thought I’d be the first.”

Burns said he has a reputation as being someone “who puts people before politics, and that’s what we really need for that position.”

Bullard, a former chairman of the Board of Commissioners and state lawmaker, was appointed to the job following the election of former Clerk/Register of Deeds Ruth Johnson as Michigan Secretary of State in 2010.

He announced his intentions to seek a full term as the county’s clerk/register of deeds on Monday, April 9.

In his campaign announcement, Bullard highlighted what he’s done since he was appointed to the position in January 2011. He said he has improved customer service, expanded innovation and ensured the integrity of the election process through a variety of initiatives he put into place in the last 15 months.

“I look forward to a campaign on these and other issues,” Bullard said in his campaign announcement. “I think our record is a very strong one.”

Burns is the first publicly to acknowledge that he is looking to replace Bullard, but Democratic sources have said several others — including state Reps. Lisa Brown (D-West Bloomfield, Commerce, Wolverine Lake) and Vicki Barnett (D-Farmington Hills), as well as Commissioners Craig Covey (D-Ferndale) and Helaine Zack (D-Huntington Woods) — are all possible candidates for the job that pays $138,999 per year.

Covey said his desire is to run for another term as county commissioner, but acknowledged that he has been approached and is considering a run for county clerk.

The county clerk/register of deeds serves a four-year term.

The 2012 general election is slated for Nov. 6. The candidate filing deadline is May 15.