County clerk retires but other family members come forward

Published 1:30 am Friday, May 1, 2026

Debra Van Pelt’s last day as Island County clerk was May 1, but it may not be the end of county government for her family.

Van Pelt retired from her elected position after 21 years in the office. Meanwhile, her daughter, Amber Sewell, plans to run to replace her, though she’ll have a lot of competition. Besides Sewell, three other candidates have declared with the Public Disclosure Commission while the county commissioners will interview her and two other candidates for interim clerk next week.

While both Debra Van Pelt and her daughter are Democrats, Van Pelt’s husband, Matt Van Pelt, is planning to run this year as a Republican candidate for Island County commissioner, Position 3.

“My life is really complicated,” Van Pelt said with a laugh. “We don’t see eye to eye on politics.”

Nevertheless, Van Pelt said her husband, the owner of a local construction company, has long been interested in running for a commissioner position. She felt that she didn’t want to be an elected county official at the same time as her husband, so she decided to retire ahead of the candidate filing week.

Van Pelt said she’s excited by the opportunity to take it easy and spend time with children and grandchildren in the Midwest.

“I’ve been working since I was in high school,” she said.

She will definitely be missed by her fellow leaders in county government and the law and justice system. At a recent meeting, Island County Commissioner Jill Johnson commended Van Pelt for quietly keeping the department “drama free” while running a tight ship, financially.

Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks said she has been a great partner in keeping superior court running smoothly and reliably.

“People underestimate the importance of having a knowledgeable and highly skilled clerk like Debra, because she does her critical work out of the limelight,” he said. “Debra’s unmatched hands-on experience and forthright nature have allowed us to tackle some difficult challenges to the court’s operation. Even when we came at problems with very different ideas of the proposed solution, she proved herself to be a good leader and colleague, allowing us to resolve issues with a focus on serving the public.”

Van Pelt agrees that the clerk’s office is the “silent partner” in the law-and-justice system. The job is vital, although she said few people in the community understand what the clerk’s staff does or how challenging the work can be.

Essentially, the county clerk is a record keeper for superior court. A member of the staff is in court with each judge to keep track of what happens and handle records. The office records and keeps track of exhibits during trials.

In addition to attorneys, members of the public go to the office to file court documents, which can be stressful. After all, dealing with the courts can be the most difficult time of many people’s lives, whether it’s related to a crime or child custody case or anti-harassment orders or lawsuits or anything else the court deals with.

“There’s probably not a day that goes by that we don’t get yelled at,” she said. “Nobody wants to be in court.”

The office has three panic buttons, which quickly summon security as well as deputies from the sheriff’s office upstairs.

Van Pelt oversaw major changes in the office, particularly the transition to electronic records, which allows for greater transparency but adds a few steps to the process for clerk staff. The move to e-filing was the most recent change.

Despite the office’s low profile, the race to replace Van Pelt has drawn the most candidates in local races. Besides Sewell, a former employee at county juvenile detention, three other candidates have filed for the position with the Public Disclosure Commission. Maria Hazelo, the current juvenile court services office manager, is running as an independent candidate. Dierdre Butler, an accounts payable deputy, filed with the PDC as a Democratic candidate. Toni Adams, a Freeland resident, is running as a Republican.

This week, the county commissioners temporarily appointed Michelle Schisler, the chief deputy clerk, as the acting clerk. On May 6, the commissioners will interview Schisler, Sewell and Butler to be appointed as the interim clerk, a position that will run until the November general election is certified.