ADAMS, Mass. — Northern Berkshire Register of Deeds candidate Maria Ziemba wants to be the reliable, experienced face of the Registry. 

 

"It’s my next logical step and I have been in the registry for over 20 years and I have plenty more to go," the Adams native said. "This is what I do, this is who I am, this is what I love, this is my passion and I am dedicated to it."

 

Ziemba, who is running as a Democrat, will vie against a single opponent, Deborah Moran, in the November election for the position soon to be vacated by longtime Register Frances Brooks who plans to retire.

 

Ziemba is a Bay Path University graduate and before coming to the Registry of Deeds in 1997, she worked for a local attorney for ten years as a real estate paralegal which gave her the knowledge she uses every day at the Registry of Deeds. 

 

"That was a great move and now I am on the other side of the fence where I am taking in all of these legal documents and processing them," she said. "It just went from there. I love my job, I love what I do, and I want to see myself there."

 

Ziemba said as the register she would like to move forward with digitalizing as many records as possible to make the Registry of Deeds even more accessible.

 

"There are so projects that we are working on to help bring that information out to people so they can process it without having to come to the Registry," she said. " I may never see the end of some of these projects in my time, but I want to keep them moving."

 

She said currently they have digitalized documents as far back as 1950 and she would like to keep going further. 

 

She added that she wants up to date technology in the office but still be user-friendly for those who may not be as computer savvy.

 

She added public education is important to her and as register, she would help make Northern Berkshire residents more aware of the great public resource that is the Registry of Deeds.

 

"People don’t know about the Registry of Deeds unless they are in the real estate field, a lawyer or someone in the title field," she said. "People come in and they have no idea what they need to do. The bank hands them a piece of paper and tells them to go record it at the Registry and they go to the registry of motor vehicles."

 

Ziemba said it is important to her to be a guide who can help residents navigate the registry and get what they need to be done. 

 

"I want people to walk through the door comfortable and have a good experience, maybe even learn a few things," she said. "When people come through the door and start looking around at all the books they start asking questions and get really interested."

 

As for the running of the office, Ziemba said she would like to hold regular meetings with lawyers and real-estate firms as well as hold open houses and invite the public in.

 

Ziemba said she wants to work more closely with Northern Berkshire accessors and cross-train within the office to make everything run more smoothly.   

 

Ziemba said if elected she will be a reliable Register Northern Berkshire residents can expect to be a resource for years to come.

 

"I was born and raised in Adams I raised my family here…and people can rely on me to do what I am there to do," she said. "I have been there for 20 years and I am ready for 20 more…I have got the passion and I want to be the face of the Registry for many years to come."

 

Ziemba will be on the Sept. 4 Democratic primary ballot unopposed and will be on the November 4 general election ballot with Moran.