When voters decide who will fill Lowndes County’s elected positions this year, one familiar name will be absent from their ballots.
Longtime Circuit Clerk Haley Salazar confirmed Wednesday that she will not seek a seventh term. First elected in 1991, Salazar, 61, will retire at the end of 2015.
“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve in this office,” Salazar told The Dispatch on Wednesday. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it, and the county has been very good to me. I’ve been very blessed to hold this position for all these years, but there comes a time when you have to go home.”
Salazar began her career with Lowndes County in 1976 as a deputy circuit clerk. When her first term as circuit clerk began in 1992, the office had the only computer in the courthouse. Within a year, though, she began working with a vendor to computerize court records and voting rolls — a transition she considers among her greatest accomplishments in office.
County Administrator Ralph Billingsley, who has worked with Salazar the past seven years, said the circuit clerk is well known for running a tight ship.
“She’s done a great job,” Billingsley said. “She runs that office very efficiently. She’s a friend and a great colleague. I wish her the best of luck in her retirement.”
Salazar and her husband, retired Lowndes County sheriff’s deputy Carlos Salazar, have three children and four grandchildren. She hopes to travel and spend more time with her family after she retires. She added she wants to spend more time serving at Border Springs Baptist Church in Caledonia, where she is a member.
She will, however, miss many of the things left behind at the courthouse.
“I’ll definitely miss the people the most,” Salazar said. “I’m sure I’ll miss the routine, too. It will be a huge adjustment at first. My car has been coming this way a long time.”
Qualifying for all county elected positions, including circuit clerk, tax assessor/collector, sheriff, coroner, constables and supervisors, begins Monday. Deadline to qualify is 5 p.m. Feb. 27.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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