About Ruth Johnson
Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds
As a State Representative, she was given rare subpoena power to investigate corruption, which helped lead to the conviction and jail sentence of a public official. The ensuing investigation exposed the use of taxpayer dollars for everything from flying lessons, Waterford crystal and golf to lavish $250 dinners and limousine service.
A fiscal and social conservative, Ruth is the only Secretary of State candidate on record who voted against the largest Secretary of State fee and fine hikes in Michigan history.
As an Oakland County Commissioner, Ruth tackled such issues as putting trustee prisoners to work and instituting county performance audits.
Since she was elected Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds in 2004 and re-elected in 2008, Ruth has cut more than $1 million in costs from the Oakland County budget and reduced her staff by 20 percent. Ruth successfully fought a 700-percent increase in fees proposed by the State, understanding that government must do more for less.
To fight identity theft, she established an Identity Protection Task Force and directed her staff to remove Social Security numbers from copies of documents requested by the public. To enhance government transparency and accountability, she put campaign donation records online so voters could see who was donating money to local candidates and committees.
In 2009-2010, Ruth also led the fight to ensure that the votes of overseas military personnel count on Election Day with OPERATION: OUR TROOPS COUNT.
As Clerk, Ruth won fourteen (14) national awards for innovative services to provide transparency and save money, including:
- Launching the County's Absentee Ballot Tracker, which allows voters to track their ballots to ensure they reach their local clerk's office in time to be counted on Election Day.
- Creating Project VOTE, which recycled gently used voting machines into schools to give kids a hands-on lesson in voting and democracy.
- Working with local clerks to launch a poll worker recruiting program in anticipation of the November 2008 election.
- Creating an instructional DVD for new voters or voters brushing up on new machines.
- Having state law changed to allow online marriage license applications. Today, more than half of all applications are submitted electronically.
- Working with the Oakland County Circuit Court and IT to launch eFiling, which creates virtually paperless court cases. To date, the program has saved a stack of paper 13-stories tall.
- Launching the online Court Explorer system, which allows users to search and order Oakland County Circuit Court records online.
- Creating the online FRAUDCHECK program to combat mortgage and deed fraud by checking documents to ensure no property documents have been recorded against the homeowners name without their consent.
- Campaign to promote the combining of school elections - Johnson worked tirelessly to urge local school districts to combine their elections with regular elections to save money and improve voter turnout. To date, 23 of 27 Oakland County School districts have combined elections, markedly improving voter turnout and saving a combined $600,000 in tax dollars annually.
- A poll-worker training DVD - Created prior to the 2008 election, the Oakland County Clerk's Office created an instructional DVD program for election workers to supplement the training already provided by local clerks. The professionally produced video, which "starred" county workers as a cost-saving measure, helped provide up-to-date training.
- Mobile Office - Created to offer more convenient service to the county's outlying communities, this no-frills service sets up shop in borrowed space, usually local libraries, and provides on-the-spot copies of public documents, assists with voter registration and saves residents a trip to the county courthouse. Residents, especially seniors, love this convenient service.
- Identity Protection Service - Streamlines the removal of sensitive financial information from court files. Prior to the launch of the service, implemented as part of a joint project with the Oakland Circuit Court, residents had to hire an attorney, pay to file a court motion and attend a formal court hearing to have Social Security numbers removed from court records.
- The Election Network - A password-protected website to assist our local city and township clerks and our own Elections Division in sharing important election-related information.
EXPERIENCE
- Re-elected Oakland County Clerk in 2008
- GOP nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Michigan as running mate of Dick DeVos in 2006
- Elected Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds in 2004, serving as the Chief Elections Official for Michigan's second largest county
- Elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 1998 and was re-elected in 2000 and 2002. While in the House, Ruth served as Chairperson of the GOP Policy Committee and as Assistant Majority Whip.
- As committee chair, Ruth led investigations into the misappropriation of funds at the Oakland County Intermediate School District. The investigation later led to criminal charges against the superintendent.
- As a personal property rights advocate, Ruth chaired the House Land Use and Environment Committee and also served on Veteran Affairs and Homeland Security committees, Education, Health Policy and Transportation. While on the Land Use Committee, she sponsored market-driven open space preservation legislation that earned the support of the people and developers.
- Elected to the Oakland County Board of Commissioners in 1988 and served five terms, including six years as vice chairperson.
- Owned and operated a print shop.
- During graduate school, completed an internship with Oakland County Probate Court. Following graduation, worked at Oakland County Children's Village.
PERSONAL
Ruth lives in Holly with her husband, Don Nanney, a small business owner, and their 11-year-old daughter, Emily. As a young woman, Ruth's family was very loving and supportive, but lived below the poverty line after her father passed away. She started working at age 13 to help her family make ends meet. She was the first girl to deliver the Pontiac Press, now called the Oakland Press.
EDUCATION
Graduate of Waterford Township High School who worked to put herself through Oakland Community College, Oakland University and Wayne State University, where Ruth received a Master's Degree, with honors.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
- Member of the Oakland County, Michigan and National Republican Party
- Frequent speaker at local Optimist and Rotary Club events
- In 2004, Ruth Johnson earned the National Federation of Small Business Award
- Former member of the American Business Women's Association and various Chambers of Commerce
- Charter member of the Holly Area Optimists
- Former board member for the Lake Louise and Tipsico Lake Improvement board
Click here for Ruth's photo album.
Click here for Ruth's Childhood Scrapbook
