Meet Brad

Brad Kendall, voted New York State County Clerk of the year in 2018, has been the Dutchess County Clerk since 2006. He was elected in 2007 and re-elected in 2011, 2015, and 2019 and has amassed a long list of accomplishments in the clerk’s office.  Brad has transformed the office to be more customer-friendly by increasing operational efficiencies and implementing online features while continuing to maintain personalized service at offices throughout the county.

Over the past 17 years, Brad and his staff have processed more than 5 million transactions, while implementing an electronic filing process that converts paper records to a digital format. This process is an essential step in ensuring that constituents’ records remain safe for years to come. It is a win-win for both the county and those submitting documents for recording, making a once-complicated process a simple one.

Together with the Dutchess County Historian, Brad, and his staff have digitized and posted online over 52,000 pages of material comprising the county’s earliest records to the Ancient Documents Portal.  The body of materials consists of county court recordings beginning in 1721 and running through 1879. Before its digitization, the Ancient Documents Collection was a challenge to access.

Under Brad’s leadership, he and his staff created the Return the FAVOR Program in a joint venture between the County Clerk’s Office and Division of Veterans Services. The Return the FAVOR Program issues IDs to honorably discharged veterans who are county residents enabling them to access discounted products or services through participating businesses and merchants.

Earlier this year, the County Clerk’s office partnered with Abilities First to complete the first ThinkDIFFERENTLY Backscanning Project where employees with special needs received technical and vocational training to index and digitize county records.

Brad regularly coordinates outreach programs to fill constituents in on the myriad of services the County Clerk’s Office provides.  

Brad enjoys traveling around the county to meet with folks — like seniors and veterans — to hear their concerns and ideas for improving services at the county clerk’s office.  

The Conservative, Republican, and Independence parties are endorsing Brad, a Republican, for another term.