Guilford County Register of Deeds Jeff Thigpen must enjoy the job.
On Monday, Dec. 2 Thigpen was the first person to arrive at the Guilford County Board of Elections office in downtown Greensboro when it was time to file to run for office again.
Thigpen said after filing that he feels like, since first being elected to that position in 2004, the Register of Deeds office has made real progress by adding services and modernizing operations – and Thigpen added that he’d like the opportunity to further the work of the deeds office for another term.
“I think the office is running really well,” Thigpen said.
He pointed out that, since winning the job a decade and a half ago, the deeds office has done things like add passport services and create a program that has issued ID cards to about 2,500 veterans, allowing them discounts at 320 cooperating restaurants, stores and vendors in the county.
According to Thigpen, the new Register of Deeds passport office has added $530,000 in revenue to Guilford County government and has also made it much more convenient for people in the county to get passports. The deeds office has established a walk-in service for passport customers and held numerous passport fairs at local colleges that allow people to complete the application process on the spot.
Thigpen also said he’s attempted to make searching records easier for local attorneys, real estate brokers and others by putting more of those records online.
“We have all of our land records online going back to 1771,” Thigpen said.
According to Thigpen, when he first ran for office – a county commissioners race that he won – he filed on the last day of filing. However, since then, he said, he’s always filed at the very beginning of the filing period.
Thigpen hasn’t faced an opponent since 2004, but he said he never takes anything for granted.
“Nothing is ever given to you,” Thigpen said, adding that it would be fine with him if no one filed to run against him again this year.
