A new challenger has entered the race for the Suffolk Circuit Court clerk’s seat.

Barbara Xenakis Gayle, a resident of Sadler Heights, declared her candidacy on Thursday for the seat being vacated by retiring Circuit Court Clerk Henry Murden.

Gayle currently works as an assistant to Portsmouth’s chief deputy commonwealth’s attorney. Her duties include the preparation of all criminal proceedings pertaining to the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. She has worked in the legal community for the past 10 years, with five of those years as a deputy clerk of the Portsmouth J&D court.

&uot;It’s been my profession,&uot; said Gayle. &uot;I am running for this position because, for me, it’s a natural extension of my work life. As a former deputy clerk of court, I know the procedures of a clerk’s office from all angles. I know the challenges and I know its value to the community.&uot;

Gayle, a native of Syracuse, N.Y., came with her family to Portsmouth at age six. For the past six years, she has been a resident of Suffolk.

&uot;Suffolk is experiencing a tremendous amount of growth and development,&uot; said Gayle. &uot;Obviously, the volume of business in the Suffolk Circuit Court Clerk’s office is growing as well.

&uot;I have the experience and energy to manage this type of growth and meet the challenges of this office in the future.&uot;

Gayle and her husband, K. Bryan Gayle, have a 12-year old son.

On Jan. 20th, Suffolk’s Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney W. Randolph Carter Jr. announced that he would run for the clerk’s seat.

In 1986, Carter became a criminal prosecutor and accepted a position with the office of Commonwealth’s Attorney C. Phillips Ferguson. Beginning as an assistant commonwealth’s attorney, Carter was tapped to serve as the city’s deputy commonwealth’s attorney in 1998.

Carter made his bid for the clerk’s seat after the current Court Clerk Henry C. Murden, 83, announced his retirement plans.