Bucks Writs - Summer 2018 - 14

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Bucks County Recorder Of Deeds
Robin Robinson
- By Chris Serpico

hen Robin Robinson stepped forward
to run as the Democratic Party's
candidate for Recorder of Deeds last year,
she had a "gut feeling" that it was "her
time." After all, she had run for office before, and

although she had come close to winning, she could sense
that the mood of the electorate was yearning for change.
From her vantage point as the Executive Assistant for County
Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia for the previous decade,
she enjoyed a unique spot in which to assess the Democratic
row officers' chances for success, and she could sense that
2017 was going to result in the election of Democrats, not
only in Pennsylvania, but especially in Bucks County. She
knew this could be her chance, and she was right.

and later in real estate, Robin quickly was recognized as a
person to be reckoned with in Bucks County politics. It may
have taken a few years, but her dedication finally paid off
with her win last November.

When the results were tabulated, she had defeated
incumbent Joseph Szafran by almost 4100 votes. (In fact, the
65,546 votes she received constituted more votes than any
other Bucks County Democrat had received in the past with
the exceptions of former Congressmen Peter Kostmayer and
Patrick Murphy).

The Recorder of Deeds is responsible for permanently
maintaining the integrity of all land records and other
documents entrusted to the office as well as the collection
and monthly distribution of county and state fee and real
estate transfer taxes for the state, township, boroughs and
school districts. As one can well imagine living in a county
with such a historic place in American history, some of the
documents on file with the Bucks County Recorder's Office
go way back in time, as far back as 1684. Although the
office no longer prepares bound books, all official records
are filmed and retained in microfilm and microfiche modes.
The Recorder's Office, which currently employs approximately 20 people, handles a large variety of documents in
addition to the deeds and mortgages most often associated
with the office.

So what was the secret of Robin's success? "It was mostly
a matter of good timing, and hard work. I knew that
nobody was going to outwork me when it came to meeting
voters at events and going door to door. And I think the
positive impression I had made in my previous efforts
helped me as well."
There's no question that her persistence paid off. And as
anyone who knows Robin Robinson is aware of, the phrase
"giving up" is not in her lexicon.
Born and raised in Southern California, Robin moved to
Bucks County when her late husband, Mark Rosenthal,
took a job on the East Coast as the General Manager of
Bloomingdales in Willow Grove. Together with their two
children, Sam and Emma, the family moved to Buckingham,
where Robin became deeply involved with the local
Democratic organization.

Ably assisting Robin with her duties is her First Deputy, Gail
Humphrey, who brings to the position a keen understanding
of state government, having worked in Harrisburg in various
governmental capacities for over 15 years, before taking
on her current position. For the past two years, Gail served
as the First Deputy for Montgomery County Recorder of
Deeds Jeanne Sorge.

Having earned her degree in communications from San
Diego State University, and with strong organization skills
gained from her previous work experiences both as a
regional manager for Neiman Marcus Department Stores,

When I asked Robin what were the most "unusual"
documents that she had come across thus far in the
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