Somewhere on the long Fulton County Democratic primary ballot voters will find the races for tax commissioner and clerk of courts.

With contested primaries for U.S. Senate, the House of Representatives, Public Service Commission and a host of state legislative seats, they aren't getting a lot of attention even though the local offices perform vital roles.

"Most people don't see how they affect their daily lives, so they don't get into it," said William Boone, a political scientist at Clark Atlanta University. "It just seems that if you don't have some notoriety attached to it, folks don't see it. These kind of offices, maybe they should be appointed."

That's not the position held by the six men and women vying for the two posts. They contend elected officials keep vital offices accountable to the people they serve.

Tax Commissioner Arthur Ferdinand has done the job both ways. He spent several years in the post as an appointed official and was elected to the seat for the first time four years ago.

Ferdindand's long been a controversial official in Fulton because of his practice of selling tax liens to collect taxes on property owners who don't pay. The liens often lead to homes being foreclosed on and people being ejected from their homes.

But selling the liens has also brought in millions that Ferdinand's predecessors could not collect.

His opponent, John Stewart promises to end the controversial practice and reestablish a customer service focus to the office.

The main interest in the clerk's race involves the sudden retirement of longtime clerk Juanita Hicks last February. She then handpicked Cathelene "Tina" Robinson as her successor. Robinson, in turn, then paid Hicks a $74,000 consulting fee to come back to the office and write a report.

Robinson has the incumbent's label on the ballot even though she's never been elected to the post. She hopes to hold off challenges from Lewis Pittman, Mary Dancy and William Wright.

The clerk has wide duties as the repository for documents for the Superior Court, including civil and criminal cases and real estate documents.

Neither position has a Republican challenger in the fall. So the primary winner will be in line to take office in January.