JOB KEEPS MCGRAW ON HIS FEET

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, January 3, 1992                   TAG: 9201030268
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
JOB KEEPS MCGRAW ON HIS FEET
Steve McGraw began his term Thursday as clerk of Roanoke County Circuit Court with a new chief deputy clerk, a new general office clerk and no desk.
The two new employees were the result of personnel changes in which McGraw ousted two of the top clerks under his predecessor, Elizabeth Stokes.
The lack of a desk, McGraw said, was the result of a transition hampered by a lack of cooperation from Stokes, whom he narrowly defeated last year.
When Stokes left office last month, she took her desk and credenza, which she told county officials she had purchased with her own money during her 24-year tenure.
McGraw said Thursday that he wasn't terribly concerned about not having a desk to sit behind on his first day in office. But he said the former clerk "offered no help whatsoever" in the transition. Stokes could not be reached for comment Thursday.
McGraw said he received little assistance from Stokes in holding personnel discussions that ultimately led to the replacement of two of her appointments - Chief Deputy Clerk Marsha Conner and Deputy Clerk Pat James.
Conner had worked in the office since 1986, and previously was a clerk in the Salem courthouse. James was an 18-year veteran of the Roanoke County clerk's office.
McGraw's new chief deputy clerk is Sue Hill, previously a student loan administrator at Roanoke College. Other workers were promoted to fill vacancies created by James' departure, and McGraw has hired Rob Saul, who previously worked in his real estate firm, as a general office clerk.
While the decision to dismiss Conner and James was due to some "specific incidents" that McGraw declined to discuss, he said it also was related to differences in administrative philosophies.
"I have a specific administrative style that says you trust people totally, you give them maximum responsibility and you expect the best," he said. "If I had felt that those who left would prescribe to that, maybe I would have had a different decision."
As for the rest of his 11-member staff, McGraw said "the spirit and positive outlook the employees have is quite good."
He said he expects morale in the office to improve quickly now that campaign pressures are over. Other changes also may be noticeable.
In an effort to make the office more responsive to the public, McGraw plans to install a suggestion box at the entrance. He also is studying the idea of publishing a newsletter to inform people of the activities of the office, and may consider a system in which court records can be faxed to people who request them.
McGraw plans to use his new philosophy in something as simple as shopping for a new desk. After looking at several new models that would have cost the county up to $6,000, he settled on a second-hand desk for $625.
"I think that's symbolic of the way I'm going to do things," he said. The desk should be in McGraw's office within a few days, but he says there's no rush as he adjusts to his new job.
"It doesn't bother me because I've been on my feet so much," he said.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB