County Clerk George Christenson Running For New Job

Milwaukee County Clerk George L. Christenson is running for a new job with a very similar title.

Christenson announced his candidacy Tuesday to serve as Milwaukee County Clerk of Circuit Court. The job is to serve as director of court services. With an approximately $42 million budget and 300 employees, according to its website, the department is responsible for all court records and processing more than 150,000 cases per year.

“I’m running for Clerk of Circuit Court because I believe the people of Milwaukee County deserve the best court system in America,” said Christenson in a statement. “As Milwaukee County faces a historic rise in crime and a massive backlog in court cases, it’s even more important that our court system works for us. I plan to take a collaborative approach working with all stakeholders, especially those who have been shut out of the process for too long.”

He would replace John Barrett, who resigned in January after 23 years, in the elected position. Barrett, the brother of former mayor Tom Barrett, retired to spend more time with his wife who has Alzheimer’s disease.

This would give Christenson a significant raise, as the new position offers a $125,000 salary, while Christenson’s current job pays approximately $88,000. An election is scheduled for November for a four-year term.

Christenson has a leg up on any challengers. He was appointed to the role in February by Milwaukee County’s 47 circuit court judges.

A resident of Greenfield, Christenson was first elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. He was appointed deputy county clerk in 2010 under then-clerk Joe Czarnezki.

The county clerk’s office is responsible for virtually every non-court county record, including everything from marriage licenses to county board records. The clerk, or a deputy, attends all board meetings, calling the roll for votes and supporting the proceedings.

The county clerk is also responsible for overseeing the Milwaukee County Election Commission. It was that duty which made the otherwise quiet job take on great visibility when Milwaukee County hosted a high-profile 2020 election recount.

Christenson previously worked as executive director of the Riverworks Development Corporation and deputy executive director of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority. He is a graduate of UW-Madison and holds a master’s degree in public administration from UW-Milwaukee.

Stefan Dostanic currently serves as Christenson’s appointed deputy in the clerk’s office.

Barrett, in his retirement, made an “unprecedented” one-day move to return to his former job at the Department of Child Support Services where he last worked as an attorney in 1998. The move was intended to allow Barrett to be provided health insurance. The now-retired court director waived his right to a pension backdrop.