Looking Back And Forward:
Scobee And Lebow, Stone County Circuit Clerk
Stone County’s outgoing and incoming Circuit Clerks are pictured above. Debbie Scobee, left, is retiring after a total of 32 years in the office, including seven as Circuit Clerk. Mechelee Lebow, right, took the oath of office last week.
January 3, 2019
Isaac Estes-Jones
This year marks the first in over 30 where Debbie Scobee will not be in the Stone County Circuit Clerk’s office. She started working in the office in January of 1987. In 2011, she was elected to the office of Circuit Clerk. This year, she decided not to seek reelection. In her stead, Mechelee Lebow is taking over the office. She and Scobee ran against each other in 2010, but have worked together since Lebow joined the office in 2005.
“It’s been a lot of hard work, but it was a good run. I’ve enjoyed all of the people I got to work with,” said Scobee. Now that she has left the office, Scobee said she would like to spend more time with her family and do some traveling. “I haven’t committed to anything yet, but I’m looking forward to it all,” she said.
In her 32 years with the office, Scobee has seen the role of technology in the courts expand to become more and more essential.
“When I first started, everything was done by hand,” Scobee said. “Now, except for a few things, attorneys submit most of their paperwork electronically.”
“The very first computer I ever worked on was Judge Kirsch’s home computer. We built a jail roster,” Scobee said. “But electronic filing is something we implemented during my Circuit Clerk term,” she continued. “It’s supposed to be paperless, but actually, it’s just less paper. For the most part, attorneys file everything online. Software and the laws are always changing, so we have to stay up on that to make sure we have everything working,” Scobee said.
Looking at her time in the office, Scobee is grateful for the people she has worked with. “Everyone works as a team; that’s a plus,” she said.
“I just want to thank the county for always being supportive. It’s a good place to live. Great people live in Stone County,” Scobee finished.
For her part, Mechelee Lebow is excited and “a little bit nervous, yes” to take over the office.
“But,” she said, “Debbie has really done a lot to help me get ready. She started giving me more duties about a year and a half ago, then last year, when no one ran against me, the learning really sped up.”
Looking forward, Lebow is excited about getting the office moved into the Judicial Center when it’s expansion is completed next year. “That’s going to be great,” she said. Currently, the Circuit Clerk’s office is located on the west side of the Galena square, next door to Galena City Hall.
“Beyond that, I just want to keep the office running smoothly and keep the clean record we are supposed to do,” Lebow said.
“It’s a little overwhelming to learn all of this. You never know what all the boss has to do until it is yours to do,” she said. “I want to make Debbie proud.”
With Scobee’s retirement, along with two others from the office, approximately 68 years of experience is leaving the post. “Combined, that’s a lot of experience walking out the door,” Lebow said, “I know there’s so many things, but we have a very good group of people that work together and help each other, so I’m sure we can work it out.”
Beyond keeping the office running smoothly, Lebow said she hopes to fund an additional clerk to help with the criminal division. “Whether that is money from the state or county, I’d like to get another clerk in there to help. A lot of work comes in the criminal division and there are only three people over that right now. They can get overwhelmed sometimes, so I’d like to give them some more help if we can,” Lebow said.
In 2019 and beyond, the Stone County Circuit Clerk’s office looks as if it can stay on the right course, providing important court works for the county.
Isaac Estes-Jones
This year marks the first in over 30 where Debbie Scobee will not be in the Stone County Circuit Clerk’s office. She started working in the office in January of 1987. In 2011, she was elected to the office of Circuit Clerk. This year, she decided not to seek reelection. In her stead, Mechelee Lebow is taking over the office. She and Scobee ran against each other in 2010, but have worked together since Lebow joined the office in 2005.
“It’s been a lot of hard work, but it was a good run. I’ve enjoyed all of the people I got to work with,” said Scobee. Now that she has left the office, Scobee said she would like to spend more time with her family and do some traveling. “I haven’t committed to anything yet, but I’m looking forward to it all,” she said.
In her 32 years with the office, Scobee has seen the role of technology in the courts expand to become more and more essential.
“When I first started, everything was done by hand,” Scobee said. “Now, except for a few things, attorneys submit most of their paperwork electronically.”
“The very first computer I ever worked on was Judge Kirsch’s home computer. We built a jail roster,” Scobee said. “But electronic filing is something we implemented during my Circuit Clerk term,” she continued. “It’s supposed to be paperless, but actually, it’s just less paper. For the most part, attorneys file everything online. Software and the laws are always changing, so we have to stay up on that to make sure we have everything working,” Scobee said.
Looking at her time in the office, Scobee is grateful for the people she has worked with. “Everyone works as a team; that’s a plus,” she said.
“I just want to thank the county for always being supportive. It’s a good place to live. Great people live in Stone County,” Scobee finished.
For her part, Mechelee Lebow is excited and “a little bit nervous, yes” to take over the office.
“But,” she said, “Debbie has really done a lot to help me get ready. She started giving me more duties about a year and a half ago, then last year, when no one ran against me, the learning really sped up.”
Looking forward, Lebow is excited about getting the office moved into the Judicial Center when it’s expansion is completed next year. “That’s going to be great,” she said. Currently, the Circuit Clerk’s office is located on the west side of the Galena square, next door to Galena City Hall.
“Beyond that, I just want to keep the office running smoothly and keep the clean record we are supposed to do,” Lebow said.
“It’s a little overwhelming to learn all of this. You never know what all the boss has to do until it is yours to do,” she said. “I want to make Debbie proud.”
With Scobee’s retirement, along with two others from the office, approximately 68 years of experience is leaving the post. “Combined, that’s a lot of experience walking out the door,” Lebow said, “I know there’s so many things, but we have a very good group of people that work together and help each other, so I’m sure we can work it out.”
Beyond keeping the office running smoothly, Lebow said she hopes to fund an additional clerk to help with the criminal division. “Whether that is money from the state or county, I’d like to get another clerk in there to help. A lot of work comes in the criminal division and there are only three people over that right now. They can get overwhelmed sometimes, so I’d like to give them some more help if we can,” Lebow said.
In 2019 and beyond, the Stone County Circuit Clerk’s office looks as if it can stay on the right course, providing important court works for the county.