Garfield County Clerk and Recorder Mildred Alsdorf figures nobody has ever run against her since 1978 because she’s “doing her job.”

Describing herself as a “people person,” Alsdorf says she’s very fortunate to have run unopposed for so long. Because of that, she’s been able to concentrate on her job rather than a campaign.

With 24 years of experience as clerk and recorder and seven more as deputy county clerk, Alsdorf, a native Coloradan who originally hails from Eaton, certainly has enough experience to stay on the job.

---

---

Yet even after all that time, Alsdorf says she’s constantly trying to upgrade and improve the office.

“When I came to work for the county, we had one electric typewriter. Now we’re computerized and we continue to update,” she said.

---

---

While her job is important to Alsdorf, she says her family comes first. A widow, Alsdorf has three grown-up kids – Mike Alsdorf, Cheryl Hurst Page and Pati Moreno – eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

During her next term as clerk and recorder, Alsdorf hopes to somehow acquire more space for her and her 17 employees in the clerk and recorder’s office.

“We’re working toward that,” she said. “I had the opportunity to move across the street (to the new county offices), but it wouldn’t have worked out.”

Because of that, she’s trying to get more space in the Garfield County Courthouse building.

The clerk’s office handles many jobs, Alsdorf explained. Vital records, which include birth and death certificates, are recorded and stored there for both Garfield and Pitkin counties.

“(Pitkin County) doesn’t have a mortuary,” she explained.

“We also do elections, motor vehicles, recording – I’m the clerk for the Garfield Board of County Commissioners – liquor licenses and marriage licenses. We are the custodians of the records in the county,” she said.

She also keeps all the minutes and resolutions for the commissioners.

“I have a branch office in Rifle,” she said. “I go down every so often, as often as I can.”

On Tuesday, she was in the middle of getting the ballots ready for the Nov. 5 election.

And administering elections is one of her favorite parts of the job.

“My favorite part is the people, working with all the customers. Also elections. With all the new federal and state laws, it makes a big difference,” she said.

But her job is by no means the only thing going on in Alsdorf’s life.

“I work with a lot of different things,” she said.

They include her church, the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church; Eastern Star, a fraternal organization; the Eagle’s Auxiliary; and the Kiwanis.

“I keep busy, anyhow,” she said.

In her job, Alsdorf has an open-door policy.

“Anyone can come in, they don’t have to make an appointment. They can just come in and sit down,” she said.

A lot of people take advantage of that, she said.

“I just say, `Come on in.’ Sometimes it’s a lot easier than making an appointment.