Susan Brooke Ripley, 56, of Beaverlett has announced her candidacy for Mathews County Clerk of Circuit Court.

If elected, Ripley said she intends to maintain the well-run record room that Mathews has had for many years. “We’ve had a well-run process so long that I think people take it for granted,” she said.

Not all record rooms are as well-managed as in Mathews, said Ripley. She said she’s examined titles in record rooms from Fredericksburg to Newport News, and sometimes records are filed incorrectly, creating issues for people as they conduct business. Sometimes clerks aren’t as helpful as they should be, she said.

“Mr. (Eugene) Callis ran the best courthouse in the area, and Angie (Ingram) carried it on with such grace,” she said. “My goal is to continue to have a well-run office where people can find things; where the records are secure, and we’re helpful and kind and make sure the citizens are at the forefront of our mind.”

Ripley also wants to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars, incorporating new technologies when feasible, but always paying attention to the cost versus the reward. Some localities use a third-party company to record everything online so that title examiners and attorneys don’t have to go to the courthouse to look up records at all, she said, but the cost might not be viable.

“I’d like to thoughtfully implement technology, but not for technology’s sake,” she said. “We shouldn’t necessarily scan all the past documents online just to do it. If it costs more than the benefits it brings, I want to look at that.”

A Mathews native with roots that go back to the era of land grants from the English king, Ripley graduated from Mathews High School then attended Virginia Intermont College. She graduated in 1989 with degrees in business management and equine science. She said she had intended to breed and train horses, but after getting a good look at the horse industry, decided against it.

Instead, eager to leave Mathews, she moved to Richmond and worked for a mortgage company for several years, moving back home when her father became ill, working as a real estate paralegal for two Mathews attorneys. After her father passed away, she moved back to Richmond and worked in real estate at a law firm.

In 2006, Ripley decided she wanted to come home to Mathews for good, and she set up her own business, Ripley’s Coastal Closings, where she helps people with title searches and prepares paperwork for real estate deals and mortgage financing. She said she enjoys her work but may not be able to run the business if elected.

In her spare time, Ripley enjoys singing at Donk’s and teaching summer Bible school. She said she loves to read and study history, and she’s ready to serve her county.

“Mathews has my heart,” she said. “The clerk’s office is a special place. I want to maintain the spirit in which Mr. Callis ran it and thoughtfully include technology.”