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Lucy Carpenter

Longtime clerk not running

• Carpenter – ‘It’s been a wonderful life’

The state’s longest-serving circuit clerk will not seek re-election. Lucy Carpenter is wrapping up her 11th term in the Marshall County Courthouse. She first took office in 1976. That’s 44 years as circuit clerk. “It’s been a wonderful life,” Carpenter said. “I plan to stay involved. Our county has so much going on right now. I will contribute where I can.” Carpenter was featured in the 2014 Profile Edition of The South Reporter. She’s seen a lot of changes in the circuit clerk’s office. There were no computers in the courthouse when she started in 1976. Ballots were counted by hand, up until 1988, when the county purchased its first voting machines. “I’ve seen so many changes,” Carpenter said. “It is rewarding to know I was instrumental in some of them. “Early voting will eventually become law. I wish I could have seen it happen before I left office.” Carpenter has long been involved in the Mississippi Circuit Clerk’s Association. She was elected president in 1984 and served two terms. The duties of the office are many – clerk for the circuit court, handling all filings, all minutes, all records of both civil and criminal cases; marriage licenses; voter registration; applications for passports; and more. For Carpenter, it has been an important job, but more so it has been the relationships. “It’s the people – I like being with people and serving people,” Carpenter said during that interview five years ago.

She will continue to serve through December of this year.

As of Tuesday morning of this week, two candidates are running for the job that will be vacated by Carpenter. Qualifiers are Patricia Penilton Glass and Belinda Sims Hollowell.

Qualifying for all offices has tapered off after the first couple of weeks in January. The deadline to qualify is March 1.

The candidate list as of Tuesday morning includes:

• Chancery Clerk – incumbent C.W. (Chuck) Thomas.

• Circuit Clerk – Glass and Hollowell.

• County Attorney – incumbent Shirley Byers.

•Sheriff – incumbent Kenny Dickerson.

• Tax Assessor – incumbent Juanita M. Dillard.

• Tax Collector – incumbent Betty Byrd.

• Coroner – incumbent James Richard Anderson.

• Justice Court Judge North – incumbent Mae Garrison.

•Justice Court Judge South – incumbent Ernest Cunningham, Gary K. Looney.

• Constable North – incumbent Michael Perkins, Christopher Sisk.

•Constable South – Thomas “Tommy” Crouch, Falando Marion.

• Supervisor, District 1 – incumbent Charles Terry, Don Cothern, Goston “Redd” Glover, Danny Warren.

• Supervisor, District 2 – incumbent Eddie Dixon.

• Supervisor, District 3 – incumbent Keith Taylor, Terry Rodgers.

• Supervisor, District 4 – incumbent George Zinn III, Ricky R. Jones, Marvin Lucas.

• Supervisor, District 5, incumbent Ronnie Joe Bennett.

The first primary is August 6 with the runoff August 27, if necessary. The general election will be held November 5.

For more information on candidate qualifying, on voter registration, or on the 2019 elections in general, call the Marshall County Circuit Clerk’s office at 252-3434.

Holly Springs South Reporter

P.O. Box 278
Holly Springs, MS 38635
PH: (662) 252-4261
FAX: (662) 252-3388
www.southreporter.com