STARKVILLE — As of Tuesday, Glenn Hamilton has now approached the ballot box from just about every conceivable angle.
First as a voter and later as a candidate (including two successful campaigns for state senate), Hamilton completed the trifecta during Tuesday’s primary elections. Conducting his first election as Oktibbeha County Circuit Clerk, Hamilton pronounced the election a success.
“Everything went very smoothly — no emergencies, no surprises,” Hamilton said Thursday as he sat in his office in the in downtown Starkville. “We certified the results (Wednesday), so I have one election under my belt now. It’s good to have that experience to draw from as we approach the November general election.”
Hamilton, 56, assumed his duties in January. Much like the election, he is finding that every experience is a “first experience.”
Conducting elections is but one of the duties of the position. Hamilton has already gone through the first circuit court session with another session approaching in April. There are myriad other duties — issuing marriage licenses and passports, assembling grand juries, certifying registration rolls and tons of court filing.
“It’s all new, but so far things have gone well,” he said. “That’s really a testament to the staff here. We have a lot of talented, experienced people that make me look good.”
Just three months into the job, Hamilton said he’s in no hurry to institute changes, although he does not rule out that possibility down the road.
“First, I think it’s important to go through all these first-time experiences before I start making changes,” he said. “You want to have a good grasp of how things work before you change things. I’ve never believed in changing for change sake. Second, it’s obvious that this is a well-operated office and has been for a long time.”
Hamilton attributes much of that to the stability the position has enjoyed over the years. Hamilton is just the third circuit clerk in the County in 36 years. He succeeded Angie McGinnis who served four terms at circuit clerk. McGinnis, in turn, succeeded the late Miriam Cook, who served five terms beginning in 1976.
Hamilton brings a diverse range of experiences to the position.
After graduating from Maben High School in 1973, he attended East Mississippi Community College for two years. He had intended to study journalism at Mississippi State after leaving EMCC. Instead, a family illness moved him in a different direction.
“We had a family business (a farm supply store) that my uncle ran,” Hamilton said. “Well, he had an illness and I left school to run the business while he recovered. It was supposed to be just a short-term thing. But about the time my uncle got back on his feet and I started making plans to go back to school, he took a bad turn. The next thing you know, it’s 15 years later and I’m still in the farm supply business.”
A decline in the dairy and farm industries in the county prompted Hamilton to leave the farm supply business. He went to work as marketing director for the Mississippi Department of Agriculture under the iconic reign of Jim Buck Ross, a position he held for seven years. Much of his work involved dealing with state legislators on agricultural issues. At the end of seven years, he made his own run for the state senate.
On his first day as state senator, the media asked him if he felt his prior experience working with legislators would give him an advantage over his fellow freshmen legislators.
“Definitely,” he deadpanned. “I know where all the restrooms are.”
Hamilton’s arrival in politics seemed a natural progression, given his family background.
“My dad had been a County Supervisor for a long time at that point,” Hamilton said. “Well, I ran for the state senate as a Republican. My dad was a Democrat.”
Hamilton and his father appeared on the same ballot, which made for more than one interesting conversation around the dinner table as Hamilton’s mom pondered whether she would vote in the Democratic or Republican primary.
What did she decide?
“If you know anything about moms, you should be able to figure that out,” Hamilton said, laughing.
After two terms in the state senate (1996-2004), Hamilton was appointed to a four–year term on the state parole board, a fascinating, if emotionally draining, experience.
“It’s a tough job,” Hamilton said. “I had thought about serving another term, but really, I think four years was enough. It’s one of those jobs that, no matter what you decide, one party or the other is going to be very upset with your decision.”
Hamilton retired upon leaving the parole board, but he stayed involved in politics through serving on various county boards.
In November, he won the circuit court position vacated by the retiring McGinnis.
Hamilton said he hasn’t encountered any great surprises in his new job so far, although he is mildly surprised by the steady traffic his office does in marriage licenses and passports in what is a relatively sparsely populated county.
Just three months into his term, Hamilton confesses that it’s been pretty smooth sailing.
“I’m having a great time,” he said. “I’ve always been interested in politics and involved in politics in one way or another. My dad was a supervisor for a lot of years and I had an uncle that was a supervisor, too, and another uncle that was a school superintendent.
“I guess it runs in my blood.”
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