Former Westmoreland Recorder of Deeds Tom Murphy to run for new office

Tom Murphy spent 16 years as Westmoreland County’s recorder of deeds and, until last month, never considered running for another courthouse elected office.

Murphy, who for the last year has been working the private sector after losing his re-election bid in 2019, received a call from his friend, Democratic incumbent Prothonotary Christina O’Brien, who told him she would not seek a fourth term in office and asked that he serve as her replacement.

“I was honored to get that type of invitation and endorsement. I decided to accept. It’s a new challenge,” Murphy said Wednesday as he announced his candidacy to replace O’Brien to run the courthouse office that oversees all civil and domestic court filings.

Murphy, 57, a Democrat from New Kensington, was first elected as the county’s recorder of deeds in 1999. He served three terms before he was defeated in 2011 by Republican Frank Schiefer. Murphy won back his office in 2015 but was again defeated by Schiefer four years later.

O’Brien announced last month that health issues prevented her from running for re-election and publicly supported Murphy as her replacement.

Murphy said he will continue efforts led by O’Brien to upgrade the office computer’s system that will allow for court documents to be filed remotely, a program that is expected to be launched later this year. He said his experience as recorder of deeds, which oversees the county’s property records, makes him well-suited to run the Prothonotary’s Office.

“I also know many of the staff people there, many of whom are close friends. I look forward to moving the office forward to continuing the work that Miss O’Brien had started. I also believe that I have ideas that will help cut costs, increase revenue, and help continue to move the office forward. These are the types of things that I was able to do as the recorder of deeds and I have no doubt that I will continue that as the prothonotary,” Murphy said.

Republican Gina O’Barto of Unity, a 57-year-old accounts payable clerk in the county controller’s office, late last year announced her candidacy for prothonotary.