Jacksonville City Clerk Skip Bradshaw swore in his replacement last night, attending his final city council meeting.
Bradshaw has been with the City of Jacksonville first as an alderman for 15 years and then as city clerk since 2009. Bradshaw says his successful time in office couldn’t have happened without great support from his staff: “The parting gift is I had a very well-trained Deputy Clerk who is going to take over the reins, and I believe, will do a wonderful job for the city. I look forward to helping her out when I can. I’m not going anywhere. I appreciate her. I appreciate my whole staff. It’s been great. The things that stick out in my mind are just working with the individual aldermen from time to time. Each and every one of them have got their own ups and downs. Training the aldermen as they come aboard has been a challenge, and just keeping my staff up to speed with the great staff that I’ve had. There’s no one thing that jumps out in that whole 30 years. There just comes a time when you know it’s time. I just felt like it was time to retire.”
Bradshaw will officially retire on February 29th. Deputy Clerk Angela Salyer was sworn in last night after approval by the city council. Following Salyer, will be her deputy clerk Susan Thomas. Thomas previously worked as an assistant in the Morgan County Public Defender’s Office.
Salyer says she hopes that she can live up to the praise and follow in Bradshaw’s footsteps in the City Clerk’s Office: ” [I feel] excitement, nervousness. I’m really hoping to do a good job. I’ve got big shoes to fill. There’s a lot to do and a lot to learn, but I’m excited for it and I’m ready for the challenge.”
Salyer says that Thomas’ background in law is going to be a big help in dealing with municipal matters: “So far, she’s done a fantastic job. With her having kind of a legal knowledge and background knowledge that will help in our office with the resolutions and ordinances. She’s just jumped right in and has really taken on the responsibility in trying to learn everything she can, because there is a lot there, too.”
Thomas says that its a nice shift from courtrooms to board rooms at the city: “It’s apples to oranges. It’s a different ballgame. I have so much to learn. I knew my previous job really well. I’m nervous but excited also.”
Salyer says that being under Bradshaw as his deputy clerk since his election to the office in 2009 has been beneficial of learning the responsibilities of the job and the flow of the office on a daily basis. Salyer will take over the reins during city council meetings for the next scheduled city council meeting on February 26th.