Freeman beats incumbent Pueschel

Wake Clerk of Superior Court

* Nancy Freeman53% (101,307)

Janet Pueschel*47% (90,649)

*Denotes incumbent

99% of precincts reporting

Democrat Nancy (Lorrin) Freeman appeared to have ousted Republican incumbent Wake Clerk of Court Janet Pueschel on Tuesday, according to unofficial results.

Freeman, an assistant attorney general, was critical of Pueschel's first term and said she wants to bring a "more effective" management style to the office.

She blamed Pueschel for high turnover among clerks during her tenure. In the past year, turnover was 30 percent -- three times the turnover in Mecklenburg, Guilford and Forsyth, the state's other largest counties. And she said there has been a breakdown of relationships between the clerk's office and others who work with it.

The clerk, who earns $105,378 a year, handles administrative, clerical and record-keeping for the district and Superior Court, and leads a staff of more than 100 employees.

Pueschel, who won her first term four years ago, stood by her record, saying she has more experience than Freeman, including a stint as a Wake prosecutor and a decade in private practice. The former prison warden touted her work to improve services for domestic violence victims and make records from the clerk's and sheriff's offices more accessible.