County Register of Probate
Contact: [email protected]
About Jan Nedelka
Jan is a 19-year resident of Dover, and has served on a variety of committees and commissions, including the City Council, Ethics, Energy, and McConnell Arena commissions, several master plan chapters, the Garrison Elementary JBC, and others. Currently serving on the Downtown TIF Advisory Board and the Heritage Commission, Jan is also the currently elected Register of Probate.
Prior to moving to Dover, Jan was an engineer and manager at Eastman Kodak in Rochester, New York, where he managed a small R&D facility responsible for prototyping and developing microelectromechanical systems with a focus on microfluidics and optics. After moving to Dover, he and his wife started a family and he was a homemaker and serial volunteer, including fifteen years of volunteer tax preparation.
Candidate Statement
At this point, the office of register of probate is purely vestigial—after the 2011 restructuring of the probate court system, the position was stripped of all authority. Because the office is expressly mentioned in the state constitution, however, it remains an elected office until the constitutional language is amended and removed. In 2022 the referendum to eliminate the office fell just short of the needed two-thirds support from New Hampshire voters, with 62% voting to eliminate the office.
I supported the elimination of the position in 2022 and continue to do so. The professional staff of Strafford County and the probate court have served the public well and will continue to do so without the elected position.
An Important Consideration
Every few years, there is a minor effort within the statehouse to re-invigorate the register of probate, but these efforts usually do not make it out of committee. While it is extremely unlikely that the position will be re-empowered, I am mindful of the fact that the probate court handles name changes, guardianships, adoptions, and other matters.
Given that the 2024 GOP platform expressly takes the position to “Recognize marriage as the legal and sacred union between one man and one woman as ordained by God, encouraged by the State, and traditional to humankind, and the core of the Family,” I will be there to advocate and stand up for *all* people and families of New Hampshire, not just those “ordained by God” should the office be reconstituted in any way.
While the register of probate may not be a position with authority, it in no way diminishes my gratitude for each vote cast – I’m truly humbled by every citizen that exercises their freedom by casting a ballot with my name on it, and am honored by their consideration.