Elva Abundis-Esparza endorsed by San Antonio Express-News

Three former employees of the Bexar County district clerk's office are seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge the one-term incumbent.

Elva Abundis-Esparza, the chief deputy under the previous administration, is best qualified for the nomination. A former legal secretary, Abundis-Esparza has more than 35 years of experience in the legal field.

After more than two decades in the private sector, she was employed by former District Clerk Margaret Montemayor, a Democrat, from 2003 to 2010. She stayed with the district clerk's office after Republican Donna Kay McKinney defeated Montemayor and served in various capacities until March 2013.

Abundis-Esparza's tenure under Montemayor provided valuable management training necessary to operate an office that currently has about 186 employees and an $8.5 million budget. Her assignments in criminal courts and the archives of the massive record-keeping department allowed Abundis-Esparza to learn how those sections operate.

As chief deputy, Abundis-Esparza helped create the department that collects administrative fees and played a key role in the county's initial foray into e-filing and enabling public access to civil litigant information online.

The district clerk's primary job is to maintain criminal and civil court records. The district clerk employs the clerks who work in the individual state district judges' offices whose job it is to manage and maintain the court records. It is also the office where lawyers go to file lawsuits.

The office needs someone at the helm who can work well with judges, Commissioners Court, the legal community and the public. Abundis-Esparza's experience has demonstrated she is up to the job.

The winner of the Democratic primary will face McKinney in the November general election. McKinney does not have a Republican challenger.