Race for Westmoreland prothonotary pits former row officer against fiscal clerk

Westmoreland County will have a new prothonotary in 2022.

But the officeholder elected this fall to replace retiring Democrat Christina O’Brien will not be an unfamiliar face.

Democrat Tom Murphy, 57, of New Kensington served 16 years as the county’s Recorder of Deeds until he was ousted for the second time two years ago and is seeking a return to public office, albeit in a different position. Republican Gina O’Barto, 58, of Unity, who was defeated in the Republican primary for prothonotary in 2017, is a fiscal clerk in the county controller’s office making her second bid for prothonotary.

The office oversees all civil and family court filings and processes passport applications at the courthouse in Greensburg.

Both candidates said they will bring management experience to the job.

“Being around for 16 years, I knew what they were doing. I’m a good fit,” Murphy said. “Experience is definitely needed at the courthouse.”

O’Barto said she, too, is qualified and downplayed the Democrat’s role in running another courthouse row office.

“I’ve really gotten to know a lot of people who work in that office. They need a cheerleader. I saw a need in the office, and I feel I can fulfill that need,” O’Barto said.

Both candidates are seeking to replace O’Brien, who announced her retirement after the conclusion of her three terms in office. She said health issues prevented her from seeking reelection and tabbed Murphy as her replacement.

Murphy — first elected as Recorder of Deeds in 1999 and serving three terms, and elected again in 2015 — oversaw the digitization of old property records and spearheaded the move of the administrative functions of the office to a separate space in the courthouse extension building across Pennsylvania Avenue.

Murphy also carved out a revised indexing system to provide each parcel with a unique identification number to be used across multiple filing systems throughout the courthouse. But, during his early years in office, he was criticized for his management style.

“When I first went in there, I was like a bull in the china shop. As I got more mature, I realized it’s not just an ‘I’ thing but a ‘we’ thing.

”As we’ve seen recently, you can’t take a person and put them into a job they’re not trained for,” Murphy said, referring to personnel issues that led to upheaval in the county’s election bureau. “That’s what happens when you don’t have the right tools to do a job.”

O’Barto said it’s Murphy’s record as an elected official that makes her the right choice for voters, suggesting she would focus solely on the prothonotary’s job rather than outside work.

“After 16 years of (Murphy) being in the office, he’s also had multiple jobs during that time. It wasn’t his full-time job,” O’Barto said.

In addition to his elected position, Murphy served as an insurance salesman during his off hours but denied he neglected his county duties.

O’Barto said she wants to review the prothonotary office’s functions and the new digital filing system, and assess the fees charged to lawyers and others who submit documents. She wants to restore office hours that were cut last year during the pandemic.

The prothonotary’s office closes an hour each day for lunch and eliminated a program to remain open later one day a week to process passport applications.

“I want to serve the public,” O’Barto said.

Murphy said he will review office functions and pledged to continue the digital filing program initiated by O’Brien.

“I will get my hands dirty, talk to the judges, and then I’ll be able to get a feel of how things are done and how we can cooperate with other offices. There is no substitute for experience,” Murphy said.