Lincoln County is feeling presidential these days.

     Lincoln County and city of Brookhaven are home to four officials either currently serving or who will be taking office soon in presidential roles with their respective state associations.

     Lincoln County Sheriff Steve Rushing took on the role of president of the Mississippi Sheriffs’ Association last week at their annual convention.

     Lincoln County Chancery Clerk Tillmon Bishop is currently serving as president of the Mississippi Chancery Clerks Association and Lincoln County Emergency Director Clifford Galey is currently serving as past president of the Mississippi Civil Defense Emergency Management Association.

     Next month, Brookhaven City Clerk Mike Jinks will take another step toward his becoming president of the Mississippi City Clerks Association in 2013.

 Steve Rushing

     Rushing will be president of the state law enforcement officers assocation until next summer. He most recently was first vice president.

     “It’s been a great honor to be elected by other sheriffs of the state and gives me a chance to be more involved in legislation that affects our association and the people of the state and county,” Rushing said.

     Rushing has a couple of goals while serving as president.

     “My goal is to work with our legislative agenda and to serve the people by improving the image of the job of sheriffs in the state of Mississippi,” he said. “We try to promote professionalism in all that we do.”

     Rushing has been in law enforcement for 16 years and has served as sheriff of Lincoln County since 2006. He said a few things have changed since he began his career.

     “Technology has changed the most since I started in law enforcement,” he said. “Tech-related crimes are something we really have to keep up with. As technology has grown, so have the crimes associated with it.”

 

Tillmon Bishop

     Bishop has been president of the Mississippi Chancery Clerks Association since June 2011. At their July meeting, the office will be passed to another member.

     “It’s an honor when your peers think enough of you to vote you to be president, but it’s also a lot of work,” said Bishop. “You have to remember that the people who elected you to the job in Lincoln County are your primary focus. It helps the situation because you get to know every other office holder that also has your job and they get to know you.”

     Bishop said the association has a good working relationship with state legislators.

     “When things come up that have an impact on how we operate, legislators ask us to let them know if it’s a good thing or not,” said Bishop.

     Bishop said the association has had many goals while he’s been in office.

     “Our main goals while I have been president have been widespread,” he said. “Some have to do with passing our legislation – or not get things passed. We’ve had goals as related to our filing system. The main goal for the chancery clerks association is to make sure the office of chancery clerk is enhanced as far as how it does business.”

     Bishop, who began his fourth term in office in January, said his job as chancery clerk includes everything from collecting delinquent taxes; serving as youth court clerk, clerk of the board of supervisors, clerk the chancery clerk, county treasurer and auditor; preparing the board minutes; filing deeds and deeds of trust.

     Bishop was proud of his fellow local office-holders and their taking on state association leadership roles.

     “It’s unique to have four officials from our county in office as president,” he said. “I think it’s good for the people of Lincoln County to choose people not only willing to lead in their county but also outside of it.”

 

Clifford Galey

     Galey was president in 2010-11 of Mississippi Civil Defense Emergency Management Association. Before that he was district vice president for four years, vice president for two years, president for two years, and currently serving as past president for two years.

     Galey said his goals while in office were to try to get the organization more in tune with the Mississippi Emergency Management Association and wanted to help better inform and prepare the public for disasters, especially a hurricane.

     “It was an honor that my peers across the state would elect me to be president,” he said. “That position was important because it gave me the ability to have greater input into our association and the things we do throughout the state.”

     Galey has been Lincoln County’s emergency management director for 12 years, and also volunteered for 10 years as deputy director before that.

     Hurricane Katrina hit the area while Galey was in office, which he said was a challenging time for the county.

     “Hurricane Katrina is probably the worst disaster that Brookhaven and Lincoln county has ever seen,” he said. “Thankfully I’ve had some schooling by helping other counties during their disasters. I was able to work at the coast after Hurricane Georges in 1998. All of those learning experiences helped when Katrina hit. Even though it was a terrible disaster, things went fairly well for the size of the disaster.”

     Galey said he doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon.

     “I just hope to continue doing emergency management as long as the city and county keep me here,” he said. “It’s what I like to do.”

 

Mike Jinks

     Jinks is currently serving as second vice president of the Mississippi City Clerks Association. In July he takes office as first vice president and in July 2013 he will serve as president for a year.

     Jinks has been Brookhaven’s city clerk for nine years now.

The 275 member-strong association has clerks from almost every city in the state, according to Jinks.

     He said his main goals in office with the association are education.

     “Main objectives are education for city clerks in our three-year certification program,” he said. “We continue to do educational classes and have annual clerks meetings usually in March.”

     A city clerk is responsible for keeping a city’s records, doing minutes, is responsible for city accounting for finances, keeping of city seals, human resources and insurance, and accounts payable and receivable, according to Jinks.

     “It’s a great privilege to be an officer,” he said. “I served on several committees and have chaired the legislative committee for three years. City clerk members are a tight association of members and strong network. New clerks can call on older clerks for guidance.”

     Jinks has been with the city for 19 years in total, but he doesn’t not plan on retiring anytime soon.

     “This is something I enjoy doing,” he said. “I look forward to serving the city for a while as city clerk.”