Andrea Naugle announced in a news release she will not seek re-election in 2023 as the Lehigh County clerk of judicial records.

Naugle is the longest serving Lehigh County row officer and a 50-year employee of Lehigh County.

“I am very proud of my achievements and came up through the ranks of county employees,” Naugle said in the news release.

“I am most thankful to the citizens of Lehigh County who elected me as their clerk of courts and clerk of judicial records and had faith in me to carry out the responsibilities of leading these offices for over 28 years. The decision to retire is very difficult in that I have enjoyed public service and helping people. I am proud of my entire staff throughout the years for providing excellent services.”

In 1989, Naugle was the chief deputy of the criminal division in the Clerk of Courts’ Office. After the retirement of the prior clerk of courts, Doris Glaessmann, July 31, 1995, Naugle was appointed as the acting clerk of courts Sept. 13, 1995 by the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners.

Naugle was then elected as the clerk of courts in the election of November, 1995 and re-elected in 1999 and 2003 and was in charge of managing both the civil and criminal divisions.

As a result of the Home Rule Charter change, which consolidated the clerk of courts (civil and criminal divisions) with the recorder of deeds and the register of wills offices, the new clerk of judicial records row officer position was established. Naugle was then elected as the first clerk of judicial records in 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019. A total of over seven terms.

She has served over 28 years as a Lehigh County row officer and is the longest serving row officer in the history of Lehigh County.

“Originally, as Lehigh County Clerk of Courts, I was responsible for the consolidation of the Civil and Criminal Divisions into one office space on the first floor of the Lehigh County Courthouse,” Naugle said in the news release.

“After winning the new position of clerk of judicial records, I combined the civil and criminal divisions with the register of wills and recorder of deeds divisions into that same one office space on the first floor and established the separate adjacent file review area for the public to search any of the four divisions’ records.

“I have reduced the total full-time staff by over 26 full-time and 20 part-time staff.”

The four divisions include chief deputies, assistant chief deputies, supervisors and staff who provide services to the Lehigh County Court, attorneys, title searchers and the general public for all civil, criminal, register of wills and recorder of deeds filings and recordings.

“I brought the four divisions into the 21st Century by implementing computerization, microfilming, scanning of all paper documents and the initiation of electronic filing and recording and becoming paperless offices,” Naugle added.

In addition to mandatory collection of fees, the services required of the divisions are extensive and include accurately and efficiently maintaining all Lehigh County Court and Land Records along with many other essential duties and responsibilities important to other departments within the county, state and federal levels of government.

“Most people do not realize what the clerk of judicial records four divisions are responsible for and the important responsibilities each of those divisions carry out on a daily basis, until they have to utilize the services provided,” Naugle said.