Tara Ruby, Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas

The Office of the Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas manages the administration of criminal records in Lancaster County. The office serves and interacts with a wide variety of “clients”, including:

-Magisterial District Judges

-Parole officers

-Public defenders

-Individuals navigating the Lancaster County criminal system

By doing the job effectively, the office can promote both safety and restorative justice within the community at large.

That’s what Tara would like to know, too. Right now, there is no aggregate data available on decisions made within the Lancaster County court system. Organizations like the Lancaster Bail Fund are trying to make the process and its outcomes more transparent - but taxpayers shouldn’t have to rely on volunteer organizations to know what’s happening in our county.

As a grantwriter who has brought in over $10 million dollars from philanthropic and government funding sources in just three years, Tara would apply those skills to bring home PA’s tax-donor dollars and put that money to work paying Lancaster County workers to make Lancaster County data more available to Lancaster County residents. When our county commissioners reject the opportunity to bring block grant tax dollars home, they’re just sending the money to Mitch McConnell to spend in Kentucky instead. Let’s put our tax dollars back to work for ALL OF US here in Lancaster County!