LIBERTY — Five candidates are in the running for Amite County chancery clerk — three in the Aug. 4 primary — to succeed retiring Chancery Clerk Ronny Taylor.
Taylor, who has served for more than 20 years, announced his intentions not to seek re-election in December.
In the Aug. 4 Democratic primary, Deputy Chancery Clerk Jana Causey will face off against Chuck Freeman and Glenn Wilson. A runoff, if needed, will be held Aug. 25.
The winner will face independent candidate Darlene Brantley Thornton and Republican Lesley Kirkland in the November general election. Neither has opposition in the primaries.
Causey, 50, said her experience in the office will matter most to voters. Freeman said he brings more than 30 years of business experience to the race. Wilson believes his experience working for Shell Oil will tie into the county’s Tuscaloosa Marine Shale play.
The oil industry descended upon Amite County since the last election, bringing millions of dollars of revenue. That has slowed significantly in the last year amid falling oil prices.
In the case of a rebound, the chancery clerk’s office, home to land records and oil leases, will be an especially busy place in need of top-flight management.
The office also requires close contact with county supervisors and chancery court.
Causey, who was endorsed by Taylor, has served as his deputy for the past 14 years, as well as county comptroller for the last six.
She is involved in oversight and management of county funds, development of the annual budget, tax assessment calculations and the setting of the tax levy.
She also works with the land records deputy clerk and on youth court matters.
She seeks to ensure the preservation of records at the courthouse, and has assisted Taylor in his efforts to digitize those records.
Familiar with the TMS development and how it affects the chancery clerk’s office, Causey said she would continue to build relationships with the oil and gas industry and their land men, which “will prove invaluable in the years to come.”
Causey said she will be proactive in efforts to expand county resources related to oil companies in the future.
“I’m the only candidate with experience as deputy clerk,” she said. “I assisted the public with land, oil, historical and chancery records.”
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Freeman, 55, a longtime businessman, intends to bring a business perspective to the office if elected.
Freeman said his experience running an information technology company has given him a keen insight in how to oversee a staff and also streamline the office.
Freeman said he was motivated by a critic.
“I was told not to be the guy who rose from humble beginnings, then became a successful businessman who then retired. I realized that what’s really important is to give something back — to serve the people. That’s why I’m in this race. I want to be part of a team that makes the county a better place,” he said.
His approach is one of taking what he has learned in the business world and applying it to the chancery clerk’s office.
Freeman said his experience in accounting and payroll, a capability to lead and inspire others, and the ability to network with industry leaders qualify him for the job.
He also noted experience in managing and getting grants. He said he helped with writing state purchasing laws and assisted with setting up FEMA offices and Red Cross shelters.
He says he has kept up with the TMS boom from the beginning.
“I understand it. I’ve been keeping up with it and I have some very good friends in the industry,” he said.
Freeman applauded Taylor’s efforts to digitize records, but as a veteran of the information technology industry, he envisions future technological upgrades for the county.
“I approve of what’s being done, but I think it could just be the beginning,” he said.
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Wilson, 62, said the chancery clerk should take a long-term perspective while in office and do everything he can to prepare the county for job growth based on the TMS.
He said the play offers a number of possibilities, but residents need training to benefit from it.
Wilson advocates preparing the workforce by working closely with the Southwest Mississippi Community College Workforce Training Center and high schools.
As a 30-year veteran of Shell Oil, he said his experience with that company will help him as chancery clerk.
Wilson worked in a plastics plant, made base chemicals, diesel products and unleaded gasoline while at Shell. He said he learned invaluable accounting skills when tasked with budgeting plant openings and turnarounds.
Wilson said the community needs to see how industry coming into town will affect their lives personally.
“Across the county, people are aware of the resources. We aren’t seeing the rewards of these resources in the roads, their schools and in the community. The people don’t see it.”
Wilson said communication between the chancery clerk’s office and residents could be better.
“You have to intelligently inform the people of the things they can participate and share in. That’s not being done,” he said.
