PARIS — Two candidates are vying for the position of Oxford County register of probate in the Nov. 6 general election.

Democrat Carol Gutekunst and Republican Jennifer Dilworth, both of Norway, are seeking a four-year term to succeed Bruce Rood, who is not seeking re-election.

The Oxford County Probate Court has jurisdiction over estates and trusts, adoptions, name changes and guardianship and conservatorship proceedings, according to its website. The register of probate is responsible for preparation and recording court records. The register serves part time.

Gutekunst said she supports having the register appointed.

“I think the position should be appointed. If someone applied for the job, the requirements would be experience and knowledge in the probate field, and I have that,” Gutekunst said.

She started working in the probate office in 1987 until her appointment as deputy register in 1994. She retired from that position in 2008 after serving the county for more than 30 years, 20 of them in the probate office.

Dilworth believes the register of probate should remain an elected position.

“I believe it is of such importance that the register should be held accountable for the service the court provides,” she said. “The citizens should have a voice in that decision; this should not be an appointed (position) by a governor who may appoint along party lines.”

Both candidates say the position should be treated as full time.

“The position, though considered by the court to be part time, is vital to the success of the probate process,” Dilworth said. “The position requires undivided attention and needs to be treated by the register as such.

“..If elected, I will be a full-time register,” Gutekunst said.

Gutekunst moved to Norway in 1977 with her husband and son to help her mother-in-law after the death of her husband.

“We had been living in Vienna, Va., and commuting to Washington, D.C., for work at the National Geographic Society. I worked in the data processing office. I received my training while serving in the U.S. Navy,” she said.

Gutekunst said she received her training from former Deputy Register Cynthia Immonen. When appointed to succeed Immonen in 1994, Gutekunst said she always tried to maintain the same “excellence in performance and service to the public” that was a cornerstone of Immonen’s tenure.

Dilworth is a native of Rumford and a member of the first graduating class of Mountain Valley High School in 1990. She received her Bachelor of Arts in history from Castleton State College in Vermont in 1994. Through college she worked at Bartash Card and Gift, a small retail store in Rumford, where she said the business focus was provided outstanding customer service and getting to know the needs of the community.

After college she managed Cattails, which was Bartash’s Norway store.

“I know when people walk up the granite steps of the courthouse how intimidating it can be,” Dilworth said. She believes the register of probate must make a person feel comfortable in sometimes difficult situations and assist and support their needs.

Dilworth said she has assisted in the implementation of electronic filings which is the first of many steps the probate courts are working on to improve that customer service.

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