St. Clair County Clerk/Register of Deeds Angie Waters runs one of the most complex offices in county government. Her days are spent managing the county’s vital records and keeping up to date on the changes and nuances of election law, as county clerks in Michigan serve as the chief election officials.

Serving as an elected official was not necessarily on Waters’ radar when she was growing up on a small farm in Wales Township.

“I was raised with beef cattle and chickens, dogs and cats, pigs and bunnies,” Waters said.
Born in Port Huron and a 1994 graduate of Memphis High School, Waters knew the value of hard work. After graduation, she jumped right into the workforce, landing a full-time clerical job at Empire Tool, where she spent three years learning the ins and outs of office life.

By day, Waters was working full-time, but by night, she was a college student.

Balancing full-time work and night classes, Waters earned her associate degree from St. Clair County Community College, followed by a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Baker College, all while maintaining her full-time job.

Finding Her Calling

After college, Waters’ career path wound through several local businesses, from PDS Rail Car, where she worked as a purchasing agent, to Rutkofske Real Estate. Eventually, she found her true professional home with St. Clair County government.

In the late 1990s, she joined the county’s resource pool, a program that temporarily assigns employees wherever they are needed most.

“You never knew where you were going to be sent to work,” she said. “I worked in the Health Department, Parks and Recreation, Planning, and the County Clerk’s Office.”

It didn’t take long for her to realize she’d found her place in the clerk’s office.

“I knew this was where I wanted to be,” she said. “I always felt welcomed by the staff when I was here.

Waters became a full-time member of the Clerk’s Office in 2003, assisting residents with vital records, assumed names for businesses, and register of deeds filings. When the chief deputy clerk retired in 2005, she stepped into that role and stayed there for nearly two decades.

The townships and the cities all have secure elections.

There are processes and checks and balances throughout the whole process.

There are processes in place to make sure elections are secure.

Stepping Into Leadership

When longtime County Clerk Marilyn Dunn retired in 2011, she was succeeded by Jay DeBoyer, who served until 2023, when he left to run for state representative. At that point, the St. Clair County Circuit Court judges appointed Waters County Clerk on January 3, 2023.

Less than a year later, Waters ran for the position herself and won the Republican primary in August 2024. She went on to run unopposed in the general election that November.
That election season was hectic.

“It was stressful; it was a busy time,” she said. “Our office oversees the election process, and at the same time, I was trying to run my own campaign, be at parades and community events.”

Despite the whirlwind, Waters got through it.

“This job is changing constantly, especially with elections,” she said. “There are always policy updates and new requirements. I like challenges. You never know what’s going to pop up. It is not boring.”

The Many Roles of the Clerk’s Office

As County Clerk/Register of Deeds, Waters oversees a wide range of responsibilities. Her office handles vital records such as birth, marriage, and death certificates; maintains CPL (concealed pistol license) records; registers assumed names and notaries; and manages court schedules, jury notifications, peddler permits for veterans, and military discharge papers.

“There’s way more to being a county clerk than just elections,” she said. “We touch nearly every part of county government.

“The county is a good place to work. There are great people here who truly care about what they do. I love interacting with people and helping customers — that’s one of my favorite parts of the job.”

Ensuring Election Integrity

In an era when public trust in elections is sometimes questioned, Waters emphasized the importance of education and transparency.

“I think it’s partly a lack of education that people don’t know how the process works,” she said. “There’s a lack of educating themselves on the process. There are recordings and seals and there are audits after every election and the state will conduct the audits.

“The townships and the cities all have secure elections,” she said. “There are processes and checks and balances throughout the whole process.

“There are processes in place to make sure elections are secure.”