Sheila Studdard

is looking forward to becoming the next clerk of Superior Court for Fayette

County.

She and incumbent

Bud Ballard have already spoken about making a smooth transition at the

beginning of the year, and Ballard has already offered his assistance,

Studdard said.

"We all

owe him a great deal of respect for all he has done," Studdard said.

"I want to continue his good efforts."

Republican

Studdard's 21,734 to 18,231 victory in the Nov. 7 General election is

considered an upset, even though Fayette's electorate is largely Republican,

because Ballard has held the office for seven terms and has been a fixture

in local politics.

"She has

worked hard," said Studdard's husband, David, as the couple watched

election returns come in last Tuesday. "She's been out makign the

phone calls and doing all the things you have to do."

Studdard, who

wants to computerize the office, said she doesn't plan changes immediately.

Instead, she will work to learn how the office works on a day-to-day basis.

"I want

to make this as smooth as possible for everybody involved," Studdard

said. "We'll do things like we're doing them right now. I don't want

to shock the community or the employees. We need to get to know each other."

In other words,

there will be no attempts to re-invent the wheel, she said.

"The more

continuity we can have in this transition, the better off we'll be,"

Studdard said. "I'm very excited and everyone has been very pleasant

to me."

Studdard said

the campaign was very long, but she was glad the voters had confidence

in her. She also appreciated the support of her co-workers at the Atlanta

Police Department, where she is currently an investigator in the robbery

division.

"My door

is always open," she said. "I am very excited and I do have

a love for the judicial process."