Online public records are the center of a school library director's challenge to Miami-Dade's longtime clerk of courts.

Incumbent Harvey Ruvin has already made traffic court paperless and has similar plans for family court later this year, but challenger David Nelson said progress is too slow.

'They say, `We're working on it, we're working on it,' but it's still not done,'' said Nelson, 45, who is running against Ruvin in the Aug. 26 Democratic primary. ``I talk to a lot of lawyers, and they say they really want e-filing.''

Ruvin is among the county's most veteran politicians; his 16 years as clerk were preceded by 20 years on the County Commission and four as mayor of North Bay Village. He has been unopposed in previous clerk's races, but the winner of the primary with Nelson will then face three November challengers who have no party affiliation.

Ruvin -- an environmentalist who chaired the county's Climate Change Task Force -- hopes to have every court entirely online by the end of his next term.

''We've done a number of award-winning technology applications, and we're moving forward with more,'' he said. ``It's important the office continue in the direction we've been taking it.''

Nelson said his experience running the library at Kendale Elementary -- and a master's degree in library science -- make him a good choice to run the clerk's large bureaucracy.

''Running a library is comparable to running a clerk's office: the paperwork, the comprehensive clerical support, the access to public records and customer service,'' said Nelson, an Army veteran who worked on Blackhawk helicopters and also was a candidate for agriculture commissioner in 2002.

Moreover, he said, responsible citizens have an obligation to ensure incumbents do not run unopposed. ''You need to participate in a democracy, not just sit on the sidelines complaining about things,'' he said.

Ruvin said he is leading the office, which now takes in more than $1 billion a year, in the right direction. Putting traffic court online, he said, is saving $8 million to $9 million a year, paying for itself in two years. Caseload is up 40 percent, he said, but staff has been cut 15 percent.

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