Q&A with Guth and Mann for County Recorder’s Office
Dubois County voters will choose between Republican Tammy Guth and Democrat Adam Mann for the county’s next county recorder.
Guth, of Huntingburg, has been chief deputy recorder since Jan. 1, 2019. She won the Republican primary in May. She holds a degree in paralegal studies from Vincennes University.
Mann, who was raised in Dubois County, holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Southern Indiana. He ran for an at-large County Council seat in 2024 and for the Democratic nomination in House District 63 this spring. He filled the party’s empty spot on the recorder ballot after the primary.
What the recorder does
The county recorder keeps the county’s official land records, such as deeds, mortgages and liens. The office records documents, preserves them and provides copies to the public.
The Free Press asked both candidates the same seven questions. Their answers appear below as submitted, in alphabetical order by last name.
Question 1
Why are you running for county recorder, and what experience prepares you for the job?
Tammy Guth: I am running to be the next Dubois County Recorder because I love and believe in my position. We are more than an “office” – we are a team! My experience within the last almost eight years has been challenging at times, but yet rewarding. The support from other county Recorders as well as local county officials has been amazing! In addition, I have stepped up and taken a head start intuitive of already gaining continuing educational courses required by county recorders and chief deputies.
Adam Mann: I am running for County Recorder to give voters more options. After the primaries, our party received anonymous requests for someone to fill our empty ballot positions for County Auditor and County Recorder. I volunteered to fill either role, but gave some time before filing to fill either vacancy so if another person volunteered to help offer more options on November’s ballot, we can negotiate who will fill which position. With no one else stepping up to these challenges, I took the suggestion from other members to fill the ballot vacancy for County Recorder. My purpose in this pursuit is that if there is a lack of confidence in the Republican offerings to fill these county roles, then I will in the very least offer the promise that Dubois County’s Recorder’s Office will be functional and optimally serving the public.
As for experience, I have a Bachelors in Computer Science, which makes me knowledgeable in computer technology in the very least. During my years in grade school and graduating from Jasper High School, I often took the harder classes because exposure the deeper side of education is worth more to me than an easy GPA. The education from Jasper High School that I accepted left me over-prepared for all the associated business management classes also required of me for my Computer Science degree. The basic function of the Recorder’s Office is to maintain Dubois County’s Public Record, and that involves recording documents and archiving them for future retrieval. The next part of being the County Recorder is being the manager for the office. As much as I don’t have documented experience in management, most of my employment often leaves me said positions where I have to make a higher level decision. I full understand the managing of any system, and I know how to properly manage a bank. As much as I do not have any experience specific to the County Recorder’s job, I am fully capable of assuming the role and ensuring it is properly and ethically managed.
Question 2
What is your single top priority for the office, and what specifically would you do in your first year to deliver on it?
Tammy Guth: My one top priority is to continue to input as many “back records” as possible. Making the title searching experience easy to access online. Another top priority of mine are our veterans of Dubois County. We owe them for our freedoms, and I owe them for this opportunity to “give back” to my community. We will continue to protect their military documents by keeping them confidential as well as continue to offer as many Veterans as possible our Honor Rewards Program. Our goal is to reach ALL of them!
Adam Mann: My top priority for any office is to ensure the office serves the community as intended. So far, I have not heard of any complaints involving the Recorder’s Office, and therefore, I will seek to maintain the status quo until it is determined there are problems that need to be solved. Even if I were to hear there are problems, I will need to step into the role of County Recorder first before I can start resolving them. There are statements that can be straightly accepted, but there are also statements that require observation and study to vet. After I ensure the functionality and service of the Recorder’s Office, the next job is updating the budget requests for 2028.
Question 3
What do you see as the recorder’s most important responsibility, and how well is the office doing it today?
Tammy Guth: Our most important responsibility is not only to deliver the most accurate record keeping system, but providing courteous and welcoming customer service, while preserving land records for years to come. I would like for our title searchers to have the utmost affordable resources available to them, thus cutting cost for Dubois County residents.
Adam Mann: The most important responsibility of the Recorder is ensuring the archive of records are preserved. The next most important responsibility is that “instruments” are properly verified and recorded as defined by laws. The following most important responsibility is to provide copies of the documents as they were recorded upon proper request.
For how well the office is doing today, I do not know its state. I can’t assume to fully understand its current state until I assume the position as County Recorder.
Question 4
How would you make property records easier for residents to find and use?
Tammy Guth: As mentioned previously, I will work diligently and focus on getting all of the historical documents indexed and accessible digitally to cut research time for title companies and residents making the whole title search process quicker, therefore cutting cost.
Adam Mann: According to Recorder Office resources, the County Recorder’s Office cannot conduct searches for documents recorded in said office, exceptions for searches involving the Uniform Commercial Code. If I were elected to said office, I will maintain the current solution that our County Recorder’s Office is providing. If there is a problem with that solution, I will work on resolving said problem to the best the position grants and legally available resources could afford, if the expense is deemed necessary.
Question 5
How would you protect residents’ property records and help guard against fraud?
Tammy Guth: We have been proactive at protecting residents against property fraud by providing our free Property Fraud Alert program, available to all of Dubois County residents. Simply go to propertyfraudalert.com and click Dubois Co, IN. Sign up is quick and easy. They can also come to the Recorder’s office, and we will gladly help them through this simple process. [Editor: the web address is misspelled as submitted. See the note at the end before publishing.]
Adam Mann: I will do what the position of County Recorder permits. I am content with the current offering from our Recorder’s Office, the Property Fraud Alert system. I have no intention to remove it unless laws warrant the end of such a service.
Question 6
What is the biggest challenge facing the office over the next four years?
Tammy Guth: The next challenges that I am facing over the next four years are: Coming up with newer innovations in technology that will enhance our existing software beyond what my mentor has already put in place. With the help of our resources, we will continue to strive to make things efficient, but yet affordable.
Adam Mann: At this point, the only challenges I am aware of that are normal with any storage of records is ensuring we have the space to retain records. I will address each challenge as they present themselves. I will also consider inflation as a serious challenge, where I need to review the costs to perform services and may have to advise for increases in the revenue sources for the Recorder’s Office if this is an issue, as the fees are not set by the Recorder’s Office. As much as I have not heard of the challenge towards the County Recorder’s Office, our township governments are facing the challenge of being dissolved by the state. With the township governments at stake, I can predict that some of the county executive offices that are established by the state constitution, like County Recorder, may be amended to allow the county executives to just appoint “qualified” individuals to those offices, no longer requiring an election for said offices.
Question 7
What should voters hold you accountable for by the end of your term?
Tammy Guth: By the end of my term voters should hold me accountable for everything I have said that I would strive for in the above questions. They should feel confident that they can rely on me for next 4 years to come; hopefully 8 years total. I would like for them to feel confident that I have kept their records secure and accurate and have followed every IC Code requirement that the Recorders office is required to follow and uphold. Thus, I would like them to know that Tammy Guth has strived for their best interests. She is faith driven and common-sense minded. She will do what it takes for Dubois County citizens to feel confident that their land title documents are secure, accurate, and easily accessible for when they need them.
Adam Mann: I shall be held accountable for any failures of the County Recorder’s Office to perform and provide services as legally required and for failure to adapt to said office in a timely manner. I will be accountable for the retention of the Public Record, the proper maintenance and updating of the office’s facilities and equipment, and for the staff of the office. I will also be accountable for the smooth succession to whoever will be the next Recorder in however many years.
How to vote
Polls are open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Election Day. Dubois County uses vote centers, so any registered county voter can vote at any open location. Voters need a valid photo ID.
Early voting continues at the Courthouse Annex, 602 Courthouse Square in Jasper, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. See details in the flyers below.
