photo by: Contributed photo

Kent Brown

Douglas County’s deputy register of deeds held a slight lead to take over the office’s top position.

Kent Brown, 34, was leading Kim Murphree, 61, in the Democratic primary to fill the Douglas County Register of Deeds seat. In the unofficial final results, Brown had received about 51% of the vote, and held a 612-vote lead over Murphree.

No other candidates filed to run for the seat. If the result holds, Brown will be uncontested on the general election ballot in November.

Brown, who has mostly worked for the Register of Deeds office since 2010, previously told the Journal-World he wants to continue improving the technology and accessibility of the office and focus on document security.

He also said he believed the office could make those upgrades without the need for new revenue. He said the office often has a surplus of revenue made through document fees, which he wants to leverage to improve technology.

Brown was born in Lawrence, but raised in Bolivar, Mo. He said he moved back to Lawrence to attend the University of Kansas, where he graduated with a degree in English in 2009. He later earned a master’s degree in business administration from Baker University.

The Register of Deeds Office is responsible for recording various information related to the ownership of real property in Douglas County. The elected candidate would fill the position that will be left by longtime Register of Deeds Kay Pesnell.