In a departure from the usual candidate for political office, the hopefuls for Lowndes County chancery clerk who spoke to a crowd of Columbus Exchange Club members Thursday stressed that they didn’t want to change anything about how the clerk’s office works.
Republican Cindy Egger Goode, who currently works as the deputy chancery clerk and chief financial officer in the chancery clerk’s office, along with Democrat Joseph Mickens and Republican Jessica Lancaster Pierce, all attended the Exchange Club of Columbus’ weekly luncheon. A fourth candidate, Democrat Andre D. Roberts, was invited but did not attend.
Each of the candidates said they had no intention of changing office employees or anything about how the chancery clerk’s office currently runs.
“Lisa (Neese, current chancery clerk) has ran one of the best offices not only in the state of Mississippi, but in the country,” Mickens said. “So it’s not like change is going to happen. … The people are already in place. All you’ve got to do is work with what you’ve got.”
Each of the candidates were given eight minutes to speak, and a question-and-answer session followed.
Goode spent part of her allotted time explaining how the chancery clerk’s office worked. It’s divided into two departments, land records and court records, and also processes passport applications and collects and disperses delinquent property taxes. The office also maintains records having to do with guardianship and divorce. She said that the five employees in the office have a combined 64 years of experience.
Goode has worked at the office for 14 years, and spent more than 10 years before that working “off-and-on” in the Lowndes County Courthouse as a paralegal.
“I know firsthand the importance of record-keeping and how it should be kept,” she said. “… I want to continue what Lisa (Neese) and her father (former chancery clerk Charles Younger) have had, to assist everyone courteously, nicely and efficiently.”
Mickens, who currently serves as Ward 1 councilman, said that while Goode’s experience in the clerk’s office is important, it is also important to take each candidate’s ability to manage the department into account. He said he could learn how the office worked, but his experience on the city council and as a pastor set him apart as a leader in public service.
“It’s not about change,” he said. “It’s about can you manage? … You’re going to put somebody there in a good position, but can he manage? And not only can he manage, but can he or she lead people into the direction you would (want)? It’s all about being a leader.”
Pierce, who began working in the chancery clerk’s office when she was a teenager and who has worked for Cadence Bank for the past three years, stressed both her experience in the clerk’s office and her customer service abilities. She said she is familiar with the office’s records, but has also been involved in community outreach, from Habitat for Humanity to an anti-bullying campaign she’s initiated in area schools.
“I feel like the responsibility of the chancery clerk is to do all the things Miss Goode said,” she said. “It is important, the day-to-day functions, the accuracy, but it’s also to be seen as a community leader, someone that anyone can come to and ask, ‘I need help — a death, the estates when they’re filed.’ Having someone across the counter who you probably already know, that has compassion and can help you through what’s coming in your future.”
Primary elections will be held on Aug. 6, with the general election set for Nov. 5.
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