Gill retains Salem County clerk post

SALEM - It was the battle of experience versus fresh ideas as Republican incumbent Gilda Gill faced off against Democrat newcomer Diane Wood for the Salem County Clerk here Tuesday.

In the end, the experience of Gill may have given her an extra push as she won 10,591 to 8,984 over Wood for her third term as Salem County Clerk.

Gill, 71, of Penns Grove, has been the county clerk for the past two terms, or 10 years. She is the first female clerk in the county and also was the first female clerk of the freeholder board and the first female freeholder.

"I'm very blessed to win my third term as Salem County Clerk. There are a lot of projects I'm going to be working on that I think will help keep me very busy over the next five years," said Gill.

Gill said that she wasn't necessarily surprised or completely confident about her win because she said you never know how elections will turn out. She contributes her win to being active in the community as well as her experience and familiarity with residents in the community.

After receiving the news of her loss, Wood said she wouldn't have changed a thing with her campaign for clerk. As for another future campaign, she said it is up to the Democrats, stating she'll do whatever they ask her to do. Wood, 53, of Lower Alloways Creek, doesn't have the experience that Gill has but she had a lot of new ideas she felt would have benefited the position of county clerk. Her experience includes serving 11 years on the Lower Alloways Creek Board of Education. She gained experience balancing budgets, managing people and meeting business demands while working for the non-profit Arc of Salem County.

"I love Salem County. I worked hard for Salem County. I only wish Salem County could have experienced the opportunity of growth they could've seen with me as clerk," said Wood. However, Wood said she congratulates Gill on her win. The county clerk is a Constitutional Officer. The individual appointed to this position serves a five-year term. Currently, the salary for a county clerk is set by state statute at $107,250. The county clerk is responsible for a range of administrative services such as processing passport applications, issuance of county identification cards, supervision of all elections in Salem County, and maintaining the archival and historical documents of the county, among other services.