Mary B. Keehn of Fremont and Jeremy Schoenike of the Town of Wyoming seek the office of Register of Deeds on the Republican ticket in the Aug. 13 primary election. There is no candidate put forward by other parties for that position, so whoever wins the primary will win the office in November.
Current Register of Deeds Mike Mazemke is not seeking reelection due to retirement and his term finishes on Jan. 6, 2025. He has endorsed Schoenike, who is the current Deputy Register of Deeds.
Schoenike graduated from Marion High School, received a degree from Fox Valley Technical College as a paralegal, worked in the Office of the State Defender, was a Court Clerk and Deputy Clerk of Courts in Waupaca, served as a supervisor for the Town of Wyoming, and is the owner/operator of Log Lasting Impressions which creates rustic log furniture and home décor. He has served as Deputy Register of Deeds since February 2021.
Schoenike is married and has two children.
Mary B. Keehn lives in Fremont. She is Deputy Register of Deeds in Outagamie County and has been for over 7.5 years, employed in the Register of Deeds Office in Outagamie County for over 11 years, has over 30 years in real estate-related positions, has full knowledge of the State Vital Records process and procedures, in a member of the Property Records Industry Association, and has multiple certificates in supervising and leadership.
She was a title searcher from 1993-97, Title Examiner/Abstractor from 2007-10, Independent Abstractor from 2010-15, Chain of Title Recorder for Outagamie County from 2013-17, and Deputy Register of Deeds for that county from 2017 to present.
Her Facebook page indicates, “Growing up on a fishing resort along the Wolf River in the Village of Fremont, I learned the value of hard work as well as a strong work ethic. Living in this close-knit village, I acquired a love for the community and its people, which made the decision to make Fremont my forever home, an easy one. Much of my family resides in Waupaca County, making it an important mission to me to preserve the integrity of the records that are housed in the Register of Deeds Office while making them easily accessible when needed. I am an active member of the community, volunteering at various events, and being a member of the Fremont Historical Society, the Invaders Snowmobile Club, and the American Legion Auxiliary Post 391. In my spare time, I enjoy all the things our community has to offer including spending time with friends and family, boating, fishing, snowmobiling, paddleboarding, kayaking, hiking, and golfing.”
Main Responsibilities of a County Register of Deeds
What are the main responsibilities of a Reister of Deeds?
The Register of Deeds in Wisconsin is a crucial county-level official responsible for managing public records and documents, ensuring they are secure, accurate, and accessible. The main responsibilities include:
- Recording and Filing Documents: This includes deeds, mortgages, plats, certified survey maps, and other documents related to real estate transactions. These records are vital for maintaining property ownership and legal boundaries.
- Issuing Vital Records: The office is responsible for issuing birth, death, and marriage certificates. This function ensures that vital records are accurately documented and preserved.
- Archiving Public Records: Ensuring the preservation and accessibility of historical records, which may include military discharge papers and other significant documents.
- Providing Public Access: The office ensures that these records are accessible to the public, which is essential for legal proceedings, property transactions, and genealogical research.
- Maintaining Real Estate Records: The Register of Deeds maintains comprehensive real estate records, including any changes in property ownership or encumbrances, which are critical for tax assessment and legal verification.
Positions on Register of Deeds Office issues
Several issues have emerged in 2024 that are pertinent to the Register of Deeds office in Wisconsin. Below, the issue will be defined, and each candidate submitted a written position.
Digital Transformation: There is an ongoing push towards digitizing records to enhance accessibility and reduce physical storage needs. This includes the implementation of electronic recording systems and ensuring cybersecurity measures are in place to protect these records.
Schoenike: Upon starting my work in the Waupaca County Register of Deeds office, Mike Mazemke put me in the lead position to upgrade our land records system as part of our department’s long-term planning. The Waupaca County Register of Deeds office is proud to partner with West Central Indexing and their RecordEASE land record system. The new system has led to better efficiencies with our internal workflow, improving our land records database, and a cost-effective way to search and retrieve records for our outside users. We are one of a few counties that do not charge a fee to access our land records system, and it is free to search and view images. The standard fees (set by statute) are only charged when an image is downloaded/printed.
Another benefit of switching to West Central Indexing is its ongoing software updates and enhancements, which are included in our yearly maintenance/support contract. Previously, we’ve had to pay for upgrades/enhancements in addition to regular maintenance.
One of the best features for our residents was the implementation of our Property Alert system. Previously, something like this was considered an add-on at a significant expense, now it is included in the new system. One of our goals is to better promote this free service to all our Waupaca County residents. More information can be found on the Waupaca County Register of Deeds webpage: https://www.waupacacounty-wi.gov/departments/register_of_deeds/
We are so fortunate that our Waupaca County Board of Supervisors understands the importance of our records and the benefit of improving them. We were recently approved for a new project that includes indexing and verifying approximately 259,000 documents. This would take our tract index back to 1960.
Keehn: In order to make documents more easily accessible, I would continue working on back-keying, back indexing, and scanning of historical documents, reducing storage needs and increasing public access. Security measures are a hot topic at many conferences and there are often suggestions for attendees to take back to their IT department to ensure these security measures are in place. As far as the implementation of electronic recording systems, electronic recordings have been in place for quite some time. I have been in talks with one of the electronic recording software vendors, and beyond the protection of the county’s IT department, there are ways vendors of electronic recording software can protect these documents at a higher level, increasing the security of these documents. This is high on my list of things to look into should I take office in January.
Data Security and Privacy: With the increase in digital records, ensuring the security and privacy of sensitive information has become a significant concern. The office must balance public access with robust data protection measures.
Schoenike: Waupaca County takes data security and privacy very seriously and invests heavily in protecting all of its departments. The Waupaca Register of Deeds office works diligently with our Information Systems Department to ensure our records are stored safely and have protections in place to safeguard against any threat. We recently completed a privacy compliance project where we verified that Social Security numbers were redacted appropriately from over 11,000 documents. At the same time, we were able to add tract information to over 15,000 documents, enhancing our data as well.
Keehn: With the implementation of Daniel’s Law (prohibiting residential addresses of certain protected persons such as judges) or the Safe at Home Program (protection for victims of abuse), certain procedures need to be in place shielding sensitive information from public view and ensuring these documents are secure. Our office in Outagamie County is familiar with recording documents in such cases and has a plan in place to ensure these documents are safe and inaccessible to the public. I would compare our Outagamie County procedures to the procedure in Waupaca County to ensure that these sensitive documents are protected in the best possible way.
Staffing and Budget Constraints: Many counties are facing budget cuts and staffing shortages, impacting the office’s ability to maintain timely and efficient services. This issue is particularly acute in larger counties with higher volumes of records.
Schoenike: The Waupaca County Register of Deeds office takes an enormous amount of pride in being innovative and fiscally responsible. We are constantly reviewing our budget looking for cost savings and also improving our services at the same time. Partnering with West Central Indexing was a big improvement to our services as well as a significant cost savings for the County. It is a priority for our office to be good conservative stewards of tax-payer money.
Keehn: I do not anticipate staffing issues, as smaller Register of Deeds Offices typically have a low turnover rate. I have been mentored by one of the most respected Registers in the state and I plan to run a similar office where my staff is valued, respected, and appreciated. Over the years, there have been advancements in technology, such as the Department of Revenue Integration, which eliminates the need to enter eReceipts manually, and OCR (Optical Character Recognition which fills in indexing fields), which lessens the amount of time spent indexing documents, therefore, along with my commitment for exceptional customer service, I expect to always maintain timely and efficient services for the citizens of Waupaca County. I am a budget-conscious person by nature, and I will continually review the budget and constantly look for ways to reduce costs by raising awareness on things such as eRecording and email return, which would greatly reduce postage fees.
Legislative Changes: New state regulations and laws affecting property and vital records management require continuous updates to procedures and compliance measures within the Register of Deeds offices.
Schoenike: Updating procedures and staying compliant with new laws/legislation is always something we are cognizant of. Being a member of the Wisconsin Register of Deeds Association (WRDA) is beneficial as ROD offices across the state work together to develop best practices to handle any new change. In my experience, what’s more important is being part of the conversation and being involved before legislation is passed. I have unique experience in local government having served eight years as a town supervisor along with my nearly seven years at the county government level. I’ve been able to develop working relationships with legislators over the years and I really enjoy the process of seeing legislation develop and be implemented when it makes sense or has a benefit to our office. Likewise, when new legislation doesn’t make sense, it’s nice to be part of the process to show why it doesn’t make sense. As the new Register, I look forward to being more involved with the WRDA’s legislative committee, directly impacting the legislative process.
Keehn: I am currently a member of PRIA (Property Records Industry Association), the National Realtor’s Association, and the Wisconsin Realtor’s Association. Participation in these, as well as the WRDA (Wisconsin Register of Deeds Association) continuously allows us to follow topics in legislation and discuss how they affect our offices. Attending these meetings keeps us ahead of the game so that we are well-prepared to update procedures to remain compliant.
Public Awareness and Education: There is a need to enhance public awareness about the services provided by the Register of Deeds office and how to access these services, especially in the context of new digital platforms.
Schoenike: Making our community partners aware of our services and providing education is crucial. Since we’ve implemented the new land records system, we’ve improved our services, especially in electronic recording and digital/online access.
As far as electronic recording, we were doing roughly 58 percent electronically just five years ago. Since then, we’ve been improving upon that number each year. We just peaked at the halfway point of this year at 73 percent. This has brought greater efficiency in recording to our partners, has cut back on paper, and also saved postage costs. Instead of waiting for paper in the mail for days or sometimes weeks, e-recording often happens in minutes.
Our records are available online 24/7, 365 days a year. Our new system allows us to track user metrics such as the number of users accessing our system and how many people are utilizing the Property Alert program. Using this data allows us to set targeted goals and show us where we can better educate the public about our services. For example, in the year 2023, there were over 7,000 logins to our online records – almost 20 times each day! At the same time, our numbers were lower for those utilizing the Property Alert program, leading us to try new ways of promoting it.
Another program the Waupaca County ROD office is happy to promote and help with is the Century and Sesquicentennial Farm Program. Almost every year we have Waupaca County farms recognized at the Wisconsin State Fair. For more information visit: https://wistatefair.com/fair/century-farms/. Our office is more than happy to help with the process.
For more information on the Waupaca County Register of Deeds office or my candidacy, please reach out via email: friendsofjeremyschoenike@gmail.com or I can be reached through the Vote Jeremy Schoenike – Waupaca County Register of Deeds Facebook page.
Keehn: With public service being a top priority, I look forward to this challenge! Since the beginning of my campaign, I have declared that I want to make this YOUR office, and making records easily accessible is one of the steps in succeeding at that. The first point of public awareness can be obtained right within the county offices. Once in office, I plan to visit these county offices, as well as municipalities and others who use the office, and at that time, ensure that they are aware of the services our office offers so that when they are presented with issues or questions, they know where to refer their customer. During these consultations, I will also discuss things such as our online services and if education is needed to navigate these programs, I will set up learning sessions either individually or if there is enough need, as a larger group session. I also plan to review the website, ensuring information is up-to-date and easy to navigate.
There are always people who have difficulty with technological advances or simply prefer face-to-face interaction. I would welcome them to stop by the office and they will be taken care of in a professional, respectful manner.
About Mike Mazemke, Current Register of Deeds
Michael was elected to the Waupaca County Register of Deeds and took office in January 2007. Before becoming Register of Deeds, he worked in the Land Title Industry for 19 years and six years in public relations for the Iola Old Car Show and the community of Iola.
He served as President of the Wisconsin Register of Deeds Association in 2012-13. He has served on the Joint Alpha Committee and currently serves on the legislative and new member committees. Michael is very active in his community serving on the Iola Car Show board, being an officer of the Iola Lions Club, involved with Whitetail’s Unlimited Board, and is treasurer of the Township of Scandinavia.
Michael and his wife Brenda enjoy volunteering in their local community of Iola. They also enjoy their property in the Township of Little Wolf, near Manawa, part of which was recognized as a Century Farm.