Why I am running

My name is Eric Rothoff, and I am running for Muskegon County Register of Deeds. While it is not as flashy as County Treasurer or County Commission, the more I looked into how the Register of Deeds was run, the more I realized that we needed a new Register of Deeds.

I personally received a deed that was registered missing a needed signature. When I brought it to the office, I was told I would have to pay to have it re-registered. I was then told about a friend that had to go back to the Register of Deeds because when they sold their house two years earlier, despite the paperwork to transfer the deeds being submitted, it was never actually transferred.

I then looked at what the Register of Deeds was doing online. I found that the part of their website that allowed document searching had not had its interface updated in 16 years! To put it in perspective, Windows 98 was still supported and Windows Vista had not been released yet. Parts of the website has the new Muskegon County design but it was never reviewed. The site has missing menus and necessary links on a number of their web pages.

Finally, the last 16 years of neglect has keep the Register of Deeds from providing “No Contact” or internet service during the Covid-19 Pandemic.