A new Franklin County clerk of courts will take the oath of office in January and barring some miraculous write-in campaign, that person will be Benjamin Simanski.

The first assistant clerk magistrate for the past 11 years, Simanski is running unopposed for a six-year term to replace his friend and fellow Democrat, Susan K. Emond, who is not seeking a third term. 

“We’ve done a great job with Sue,” he said this week. “With my love of tech, with my love and knowledge of the law I can take this to an even better place, where we have better communication, more transparency of information and more support for everyone.”

The clerk of courts manages the day-to-day court dockets and serves as the liaison between the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office, all defense attorneys and the courthouse.

“We manage all aspects of all Superior Court cases, from indictment to conclusion,” he said. “We want to be educational as well as ... this case management piece.”

Emond previously explained that getting onto the primary ballot in Franklin County requires 500 signatures (Simanski collected at least 1,000) from registered voters who are in your political party or untethered to any party at all. Simanski and Emond are Democrats, but the clerk of courts is an administrative position, not a political one. Simanski praised Emond as a wonderful friend who cares about this community as much as he does.

Simanski, 41, grew up in Greenfield and still calls the city home. He graduated from Northfield Mount Hermon in 2001 before attending Roger Williams University in Rhode Island and then the Massachusetts School of Law. He worked in private practice for about four years before becoming first assistant clerk magistrate.

“It’s been a perfect fit,” he said. “I’m a very outgoing guy, very personal, very positive person, so for me one of the things is, I enjoy communicating with people and working through problems and that’s what this job has allowed for me to really do, is the things that I love — work with people, create a positive environment and master our cases.”

Simanski also said he feels fulfilled by working in a system that provides closure to victims and can help those who have committed a crime to address the problems in their lives.

“I’m so proud to be part of this,” he said. “My great-grandfather became an American citizen in 1932 by the guy that had my job. I owe it to my family, to my community to do this at a high level and make sure it’s successful. And I’m committed to that.”

Regarding his replacement, as the clerk of courts Simanski will get to pick the new first assistant clerk magistrate.

“My goal is to find a candidate that cares equally for this community, that understand the importance of access to the court,” Simanski said. “It has to be someone who prides themselves on caring for this community, and the uniqueness of Franklin County.”

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.