Heady: Stafford Has Confidence of Community

Jackson County Mayor Randy Heady said he believes newly elected County Clerk Brandon Stafford has the confidence of the people.

Stafford resoundingly defeated five other contenders in last Thursday’s county general election. Heady said he believes it is Stafford’s work ethic that tilted the vote to his favor.

“I think the public knew,” Heady said. “I think the word got out that he was making the daily deposits, that he was closing out the day everyday, and that he was doing absolutely the best job he could do. And he was doing it honestly, with integrity, and I think that meant a lot to them.”

Stafford defeated his nearest challenger, Mary Crowder, last week by over 300 votes. Stafford assumed the duties of the office in May after the resignation and theft conviction of former Clerk Amanda Stafford.

Heady said by Stafford stepping in the way he did, he believed the people of Jackson County thought Stafford deserved a full term in the office.

“I think the people wanted to give him two years to prove himself,” Heady said. “That’s what I feel like happened in the end, and quite honestly, he’s a good guy. That always helps, too, and he’s a good young man, and, again, I think he’s excited and ready to serve the people of Jackson County.”

In the three months Stafford has filled the office temporarily, Heady said a good working relationship has developed between the two. He said they feel like they can approach each other when problems arise in the Clerk’s office.

“He’s doing his best to do it the right way,” Heady said. “Yeah, there’s going to be some bumps along the way, but he wants to be transparent. Trust me, if he finds something that he thinks is irregular, he makes sure he comes and notifies me immediately. Being the chief financial officer of the county, I mean, that’s probably what he should do, and he does do it. He’s pretty quick about being very transparent.”

Although Stafford safely won the County Clerk election, Heady said he thought everyone on the ballot was capable to do the job. He said he felt fortunate that he had confidence in all the candidates.

“There were six people running for that, and they were six good people,” Heady said. “Everyone one of them, I think, were people that could have done the job. They were all honest people, well-renowned in the community. As far as feeling comfortable, I felt like I could work with all of them, and any of the six would be an asset. But Brandon is absolutely able to hit the ground running.”

Heady said Stafford has already leaned a lot by filling the office since May. He said the learning curve will not be as steep as it would for someone new.

“It’s been a learning experience for him,” Heady said. “There’s lots of things he did not know how to do. He had to go through a whole lot of training, and a lot of it is trial-by-fire. You just get in there and find out.”