3 vie in Republican race for Clerk of Court

Name/hometown: W. Warren Alston/Charleston area

Party: Republican

Professional career: Life insurance agent; former police officer with more than 18 years in law enforcement

Education: Graduated from Charleston Southern University

Personal: Married to Lisa Alston

Web site: None

Warren Alston is running to replace Beaufort County Clerk of Court Elizabeth Smith because of what he frequently refers to as her "lack of good judgment."

Alston, 46, of Okatie says his background in law enforcement qualifies him for the position. He, along with fellow Clerk of Court challenger Randy "Radar" Caulder, has been pointing out what he sees as problems that demonstrate the need for a new clerk:

•Smith has communicated poorly with the Beaufort County Council, the Solicitor's Office and Sheriff's Office -- particularly during discussions about a security upgrade for the Beaufort-based courthouse.

Smith said she's communicated well with other county department heads and has worked with the county and the sheriff to ensure the courthouse project moves forward.

•Smith knowingly hired a woman to work in the clerk's office who had pending felony drug charges in Florida, something Alston made public.

Smith said she hired the woman, a domestic abuse victim with no prior criminal history, because she was qualified for the job and in need of help. Smith said she regularly has the woman tested for drug use, and argued the woman should be considered "innocent until proven guilty."

•There's a month-long backlog of judicial orders dealing with real estate.

Smith said that "because of the foreclosure crisis and the credit crunch, everybody (clerks across the state)has a backlog," but she argues that she and her staff are handling an increased civil case load as well as possible given the circumstances.

Alston said he felt a need to bring these issues to light.

"Some people have accused me of running a negative campaign," he said. "But I see it as bringing the problems in the Clerk of Court's office into public view. When people see what those are, they can see there's a critical need for change."

Name/hometown: Randy "Radar" Caulder/Mullins

Party: Republican

Professional career: Retired U.S. Marine, private investigator

Education: Northwood University; graduate degree from Webster University

Personal: Married to Gwen Caulder

Web site: www.vote4radar.com

If elected, Beaufort County Clerk of Court, Randy "Radar" Caulder, a Beaufort private investigator, said he'd run the office like a Marine.

Caulder, 47, who retired from the Corps in 2003 after 24 years of service, said he's in the race because he wants to improve organization and efficiency in the clerk's office, where he points to a backlog in the processing of judicial orders.

"I think the place needs a good dose of leadership," he said.

Elizabeth Smith, as the incumbent, has had to defend herself as both her challengers hammered away at her record. But Caulder hasn't been immune from scrutiny.

During the early part of the campaign, a 1999 judicial order in a family court case in which Caulder had been hired as a private investigator was unsealed.

In that order, Judge Wayne Creech concluded that Caulder had perjured himself, saying later that the evidence was overwhelming. The charge was never investigated.

Caulder said, "It was just an attempt to smear me. ... For me to lie under oath would be professional suicide."

Name/hometown: Elizabeth M. Smith/Florence

Party: Republican

Professional career: Attorney; Clerk of Court since 2001

Education: Vanderbilt University; J.D. from University of South Carolina

Personal: Married to Judge Manning Smith

Web site: www.elizabethsmithforclerk08.com

Beaufort County Clerk of Court Elizabeth Smith is facing two Republican challengers in her re-election bid.

Smith, 45, has been the clerk since 2001. She said she is seeking a third term because she wants to wrap up a long-planned technological overhaul of Family Court.

"At a minimum, I want to finish what I started," she said.

Smith, who is a lawyer, also said she's more qualified than her opponents, Warren Alston, a former law enforcement officer, and Randy "Radar" Caulder, a private investigator.

Though a booming civil caseload has been a challenge, Smith said, her office is working hard to eliminate the resulting backlog.

Her opponents have pointed out that it is taking a month for certain judicial orders to get processed, something Smith said has become the norm in South Carolina counties as the housing bubble burst and foreclosures flooded courthouses with paperwork.

Despite mounting criticisms from her two GOP challengers, Smith said she's proud of her accomplishments and of her staff.

"I'm not ashamed of the job we've done under the conditions we're in," she said. "There is no one who could have fought the fight any better."