Elizabeth "Liz" Fair announced today that she is seeking re-election as Mercer County prothonotary. Mrs. Fair, a Democrat, will seek her party's nomination in the May primary.

The prothonotary manages the filing office for civil court cases, maintains judgment indexes, assists county residents in processing passport applications and acts as a local agent for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.

"We have built an office that is not only efficient and cost effective, but also is marked by a courteous and helpful atmosphere," Mrs. Fair said of her three terms.

During her tenure, the prothonotary's office was computerized and began to electronically image filed documents, she said. This process allows multiple users to view the same document simultaneously and from different locations while reducing the need for storage space. Mrs. Fair pointed out that her staff has shrunk by two positions through attrition, even though court filings have increased.

The office automation has been largely funded by a state-mandated $5 user fee for court filings.

On the state level, Mrs. Fair has served on the State Association of Prothonotaries' Audit Committee and is a member of the Procedural Manual Committee for the Rules of Civil Procedure.

Before being elected prothonotary, Mrs. Fair worked for 16 years in banking and completed several courses through the American Institute of Banking.

She also attained a real estate license through the Shenango Campus of Pennsylvania State University.

Mrs. Fair lives in Shenango Township with her husband, John, a vice president at the Sharon office of National City Bank.