ROCKINGHAM — Richmond County has a new register of deeds.
Kimberly Roberts was sworn in Tuesday evening to replace the now-retired Linda Douglas in the elected position immediately after her appointment was approved by the Richmond County Board of Commissioners.
The board accepted Roberts as the recommendation from the Richmond County Democratic Party. Commissioner Robin Roberts abstained from voting since she is Kimberly Roberts’ sister-in-law.
Joined by her husband, Sean, Roberts took the oath of office from Clerk of Superior Court Vickie Daniel.
Roberts is no stranger to the office, having served as a deputy under Douglas for the past 16 years.
But her familiarity precedes that — her mother, Pat McDonald, was register of deeds before Douglas and also started as a deputy.
“I kinda grew up in this office from the ‘80s on,” Roberts said, adding that she would drop in as a teenager.
However, it wasn’t her first career choice.
Roberts went to school to become a medical assistant and worked in that field for several years.
“But the doctors never would stay here,” she said. “I was tired of starting over with a new doctor … If I kept doing that, I would age out and eventually not be able to find a job.
“So, Linda took a chance on me and I’ve been here ever since.”
Douglas spent more than three decades in the office, having been appointed following McDonald’s retirement and subsequently reelected.
Roberts said she and Douglas are like family — with Douglas working for her mom and then Roberts working for Douglas.
The register of deeds office is responsible for keeping records of land transactions, births, marriages and deaths.
Roberts said the most frequent visitors to the office are lawyers, genealogists and historians.
When asked what she liked about working in the office, Roberts described herself as “a people person.”
“I just love to help people,” she said. “I enjoy working with all the attorneys …and people that are getting married. You get to be a part of somebody’s story … and you meet a lot of people.”
However, Roberts says it’s not an easy job.
“It’s not one that you can just walk in off the street and do, because our office is run by statutes,” she said. “It’s taken years to really learn because there’s constant changes.”
Callie Green was also sworn in Tuesday as deputy and Kathy Covington, who works in the office part time, was sworn in Wednesday morning. Green has worked in the office since 2017.
Roberts said a full-time position will be opening soon.
The register of deeds is elected to a four-year term and Roberts plans to file for the 2024 election in December.
