The Konk Life Candidate Questionnaire: Kevin Madok

Conducted by Mark Howell

Kevin Madok is running as a candidate for the office of as Monroe County Clerk of the Court now occupied by Amy Heavilin.

“I’m running to restore competence and accountability to the Clerk’s Office,” is his declared platform. Currently he serves Monroe County as Senior Director of Strategic Planning. Prior to Heavilin’s arrival in the Clerk’s office, Madok worked for eight years there under long-time Clerk of Court Danny Kolhage, who in the candidate’s words “led a professional, respectful and hard-working team. Staff turnover was minimal because we shared pride in our work and in our reputations. The Clerk’s office was a special place to work. I will restore that,” he promises.

Madok claims he saved taxpayers in excess of $30 million by searching out innovative financing methods to fund the county’s capital projects. He says he aims to carry these tax-saving efforts back to the Clerk’s office to restore fiscal discipline and the efficient use of taxpayer dollars.

Madok was recently appointed to the Board of Trustees of Florida Keys Community College by the Governor. His prior record of community service includes four years as Chair of the Board of Governors of the Monroe County Fire and Ambulance District and he was treasurer and board member of the Key West Montessori Charter School; also chair of the Florida Keys chapter of the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants; Vice President of the Southernmost Republican Club as well as having served on the City of Layton Council.

Kevin Madok tells us he earned an accounting degree with a computer science minor from the University of San Diego and an MBA in Finance from the University of Southern California. He became a CPA 25 years ago and is currently licensed to practice in the states of Florida and California.   Kevin resides on Big Pine Key with his wife of 17 years, Katrina, a teacher of the gifted program at Gerald Adams Elementary.

Here are our 15 questions and the candidate’s responses:

Konk Life: In 20 words or less, let our readers know why you believe you would make an excellent county clerk over any other candidate.

  1. Proven leadership in the office, including minimal staff turnover as well as the timely filing of the County’s financial reports.

 Konk Life:  What are the top four qualities you believe in particular qualify you for the position of county clerk over the assets of any other potential candidate?

2. Leadership. True leadership is earned, not demanded. A leader gains the confidence, loyalty and respect of the co-workers by technical competence, fair treatment and true caring for the interests and well being of all individuals in the office. A key measurement of the effectiveness of a leader is the stability of the organization. Rapid and extensive employee turnover is the “canary in the coalmine”. Excessive staff turnover indicates there is a serious problem with the leadership of the organization.

3. Technical expertise. This is one of the tenets of leadership but deserves to be included in the top four qualities needed in our Clerk. The Clerk’s responsibilities are diverse and technical in nature. A thorough understanding of the work is essential. This is not taught in schools or acquired through professional designations. It must be learned by “working in the trenches” and acquiring the skills over time by actually doing the work.

4. Commitment to the community. The Clerk’s office is certainly not a glamorous position. Serving as Clerk is a demanding job and the candidate should view the office as a service to the community above all else. I have demonstrated a commitment to serving our community for the 18 years I have resided in the Florida Keys. I currently serve as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Florida Keys Community College, Board of the Sigsbee Charter School, Chair of the Florida Institute of Certifies Public Accountants Florida Keys Chapter and am a member of the Rotary Club of Key West. In the past, I have served as Councilman and Vice Mayor of the City of Layton, Chairman of the Monroe County Board of Governors-Fire and Ambulance District, Board Member of the Key West Montessori Charter School and am a graduate of Leadership Monroe County Class XXI.

5. Intimate knowledge of the County’s business. During my eight years working as the Clerk’s Assistant Finance Director, I was involved in nearly all aspects of the County’s business. This included numerous projects researching historical issues. Currently, I serve as the County’s Senior Director of Strategic Planning and have held this position for the past four years. This has provided me a complimentary skill set by being involved in actually developing strategies and executing the County’s business.

 Konk Life: What is your personal view on the state of the nation in this particularly hair-raising political season?

 1. Although the Clerk is a partisan race, the Clerk’s office is most definitely not a political office. For this reason, I will keep this answer short. With all the demands on our personal time and distractions from constant connection through social media, I believe we are becoming a less caring society. This is because we are losing the time to “stop and smell the roses”. This coarseness is reflected in our national politics and national candidates.

Konk Life:  Are you optimistic or less than optimistic about current relations between the citizenry and the powers that be, between the public and the constabulary?

1. On a national scale, I am less than optimistic. Washington is broken. I doubt anyone will argue that point. The citizenry is frustrated. This is reflected in the presidential race. Candidates that may have been unthinkable in the recent past are experiencing strong support. Washington is so broken, it seems many are willing to “blow it up and start over.”

On the local level, I am very optimistic. Other than isolated weak spots, I believe our local government is doing a very good job. We have many unique challenges in Monroe County but our leaders are doing their best to address those challenges rather than ignoring the difficult issues and punting to future generations.

 Konk Life: Do you feel the general tenor of political discourse is becoming less polite in our county or staying about the same?

 1. As stated in the previous question, there is no doubt in my mind that the political discourse in our county is becoming less polite. The two parties have become so entrenched and focused on self-interests and power that the purpose of their very being has been lost.

Konk Life: Aside from maintaining the records of a court and administering oaths to witnesses, jurors and grand jurors, how else in your view does the clerk of the court most powerfully perform the position’s duties?

 1. There are nearly 1,000 distinct duties of the Clerk as defined by the Constitution and Florida Statutes, but I tend to classify them in four main categories. These are not listed in order of importance because they are all critical to different interested parties.

Clerk to Board of County Commissioners. The Clerk records and maintains the minutes of the business of the County. The importance of the accuracy of the minutes should be self-evident.

Official Records. The Clerk is the keeper of the official records of the County. This includes mortgages, deeds, marriage licenses, etc. Real Estate transactions and contractor construction projects can be severely impacted by delays or errors in this area.

Court Records, Fines and Fees. The Clerk maintains all court files and documents and accounts for all court fines, fees, garnishments, etc. There is a tremendous amount of monitoring and reporting in this area.

Finance Department for the County. The Clerk serves as the chief financial officer for the county. This includes custody of all assets, investing all liquid assets, recording the financial activity of the County as well as auditing county departments and vendors. Included in this area is the preparation of the county’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.

Konk Life: From your personal experience, does a generally peaceable outlook in the Keys depend upon a measure of control over the number of our visitors and the density of our population?

  1. A peaceable outlook in the Keys is all about balance. We live in a tourism-based economy but the interests of the residents must always be considered. Because of evacuation time limits, the density of our population is determined by the evacuation models. So our permanent resident base is pretty much set. We must assure tourism does not overrun the County and its fragile environment while keeping in mind the interests of the local businesses that serve in the tourism industry.

Konk Life: What do you personally love most about Monroe County and the Florida Keys?

What I love most about Monroe County is the small town sense of community and the laid back attitude. Of course we have minor griping, but I think most people do not get caught up in those arguments and simply live an enjoyable and caring lifestyle.

 Konk Life: What troubles you the most about today’s Monroe County and the Florida Keys?

  1.  What troubles me most today is the cost of living. It is a huge problem right now but I am even more worried about the future. With the prospects of flood wind insurance premiums continuing to spiral out of control, I do not see how anyone but the super-wealthy will be able to afford to live here. I think this problem is real and do not see any solutions on the horizon without radical, “out-of-the-box” thinking.

 Konk Life: What planning or political mistakes do you happen to think were the worst to be made over the past 10 years?

  1.  It might not be a completely local planning issue, but the biggest mistake over the past 10+ years has been the unwillingness to adequately address the Everglades restoration projects.

 Konk Life: Who is favorite character in the history of the keys?

  1. I would have to say Henry Flagler. He had a vision that most thought was a fantasy. He preserved and proved the doubters wrong. A similar challenge for our generation is the cost insurance problem. It seems insurmountable. I believe we have the local talent working on this problem and it will be solved. It’s just that the solution has not yet been found.

 Konk Life: Who is your least favorite character?

  1.  My least favorite character would be anyone who did particularly bad things. Rather than mention anyone, I would rather their memory be lost to time.

 Konk Life: What is your favorite book?

  1.  I do not have a particular favorite book but I like anything that is rich in history. Books by James Michener are a great example. Even though they are fictional, they give such a vivid picture of what life was like in the past. I am always fascinated by how our forefathers lived.

Konk Life: What is your favorite movie?

  1.  It depends on the mood. Some of my favorite movies would be “” and “Patton.” For a lighter mood, it’s hard to beat Kelly’s Heroes. Since my wife may read this, I had better include The Sound of Music and The Wizard of Oz. She makes me watch those movies all the time.

 Konk Life: What is your favorite quote?

  1. A. Carpe diem – Horace
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