Court clerk announces retirement plans
May 18—An emotional Muskogee County Court Clerk Paula Sexton choked up Monday when she told commissioners and others gathered for the weekly meeting she would resign before completing her fifth full term in office.
Sexton has held the post since her victory in 2002 — she was re-elected three times in 2004, 2008 and 2016 without opposition. She handily won the Democratic nomination — and the election — in 2012 after defeating the first person to challenge her for the office, and she fended off another Democratic challenger in 2020.
Sexton credited her success at the ballot box to her willingness to "keep trying, keep striving and keep improving" office operations and customer service. Among her successes Sexton has cited technological and security upgrades that make court records more accessible, document preservation efforts, and the conversion to an automated jury management system.
The longtime court clerk said she chose July 31 as her date of departure because she wanted to wrap up business for fiscal year 2021, which ends June 30. She also wanted to help craft the annual budget request for her office, which relies on both county and state revenue streams to fund its operations.
When she leaves this summer, Sexton said she will have worked in the court clerk's office 31 years. Sexton said she began contemplating her retirement options earlier this year following the death of her late husband, Sid Sexton.
"It just hit me, when Sid died — I had kept telling him I was going to retire ..., and I just never really took it into consideration how terribly sick he was," Sexton said later in the day. "It's just not the same — do you know what I mean? — don't wait too long."
Sexton said she would like to pursue some of her personal interests, "some things that I want to do."
"Judge (Thomas) Alford gave me a bunch of paints and brushes and some canvas, and he was critiquing my artwork before he died — I enjoy it,"Sexton said. "And I want to take some community college courses on things that I want to take, you know, just for fun."
District 3 Commissioner Kenny Payne said Sexton and her dedication will be missed.
Sexton said she recommended Joe Church, her top deputy, be appointed to serve as interim court clerk following her departure. State law grants county commissioners the authority to make appointments when there is a vacancy in an elected county office.
Commissioners accepted applications when former Sheriff Rob Frazier accepted a job as Fort Gibson police chief before the expiration of his first term. The applications were reviewed and an appointment was made from the pool of applicants.
Commissioners have made no decision about the appointment process for Sexton's interim successor.
