Here are the candidates for Hancock County Chancery Clerk, a vital office for residents

With longtime Chancery Clerk Tim Kellar retiring after 28 years in office, four candidates are competing for the job Aug. 8 in the Republican primary.

The winner, which could be decided in a runoff, will face Democrat Henry Ward in the general election on Nov. 7.

Kellar said that he will not be endorsing a candidate. The four candidates in the race include a school teacher working on her doctorate., a Hancock County supervisor who works as a water system operator, the owner of an independent brokerage firm and the fiscal officer for a regional planning agency.

The winner will run an office that maintains records of the county Board of Supervisors, including meeting minutes, and the Chancery Court, which has jurisdictions over all domestic matters and questions of equity. The chancery clerk also is the keeper of land records and the docket of claims used to pay county bills, and collects delinquent property taxes. County treasurer and auditor are also responsibilities of the chancery clerk.

The office is one residents rely on daily for important public records, some of which are now available online.

In Mississippi, the chancery clerk is a fee-paid official. The chancery clerk pays salaries and other expenses from fees collected and can keep up to $99,500 a year in salary, although some money collected is exempt from that cap. The officeholder can collect additional income from extra duties they take on.

The Sun Herald recently talked to Republican candidates in the race about their backgrounds, why they are running and what they hope to accomplish if elected. The candidates responses are presented in alphabetical order.

Candidate Jordan Bradford III

Bradford, graduated from Louisiana Tech with an accounting degree and serves as the fiscal officer for Gulf Regional Planning Commission.

He said his job has prepared him to serve as chancery clerk. He maintain minutes of the planning agency’s board meetings, prepares the treasurer’s report and claims docket, presents the budget to the board, and tracks contracts that use federal, state and local funds. He also oversees retirement, health insurance and payroll records.

“I truly feel like I’m qualified for it,” he said. “It was a feeling I had that this is something that would allow me to serve Hancock County.”

Bradford wants to continue transferring new technology into the clerk’s office to do such things as electronically notify people when their taxes are delinquent. He also wants to give people the ability to initiate mental health commitments over a secure internet connection so they don’t have to come into an office where they might not have complete privacy.

Bradford said his accounting degree and experience would allow him to perform at a high level as the county’s auditor and treasurer. He also hopes to retain the current staff.

“At Gulf Regional,” he said, “I saw the power that good government agencies can have and the impact they have in the community.”

Candidate J.C. Brignone

Brignone, who graduated from Mississippi State University with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, operates a Primerica Financial Services brokerage.

Brignone, 35, said he wanted to bring his leadership skills and background to the position when he learned Kellar would be retiring. He believes his background in financial services, which includes estate planning and dealing with wills and trusts, is a good fit for the job.

“It’s basically a service job for the entire county,” the 35-year-old Bay St. Louis resident said. He said that he would like to bring in technology that would speed up processes and make county records more accessible. But he said that he would need to research to see what systems might benefit the county.

Brignone believes the office is running smoothly and, if elected, hopes to keep the current staff.

“I think it’s just really coming in and bringing the county the leadership and service it needs,” he said.

Candidate Tiffany Lee Cowman

Cowman, 41, has a bachelor’s degree in math from the University of Southern Mississippi and teaches at Bay-Waveland Middle School.

The Hancock County resident has a master’s degree in educational leadership from Arkansas State University, and is working on a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Valdosta State University. She said that she has been looking for a new job for about a year but doesn’t want to leave the county and has been inspired by her doctoral work on leadership, organizations and processes.

“It’s to challenge me,” she said. “It’s to do something different.”

For example, she wants to maintain in the office a list of organizations that can help residents with court fees if they need it. And she would work to protect the privacy of residents dealing with family matters handled by the courts. Cowman said she’s a people person.

Cowman also hopes to keep the current staff in place.

“I know how to communicate with people,” she said. “I know how to fix problems.”

Candidate Kodie Koenenn

Kodie Koenenn of Diamondhead has his high school degree and is a certified water and plant operator at the Diamondhead Water District and Treatment Facility.

Koenenn, 36, started his political career as a member of the City Council in Diamondhead, where he lives. He is finishing his first term as Hancock County’s District 3 supervisor.

He said serving as a supervisor has given him the experience to serve as chancery clerk, including work on the county budget and familiarity with board meetings. “I want to be part of the solution and part of that generation trying to make a difference,” he said.

He wants to help families through some of their most difficult times, whether it be a custody battle or commitment hearing, He also wants to make services more accurate and convenient as technology presents itself. He said he thinks the office is running smoothly and wants to keep the current staff.

And he wants to work with residents to maintain confidentiality in sensitive cases the office handles. “I have a servant’s heart,” he said.