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We’ll miss Frank, but we know Clerk’s Office will be fine under Ann’s direction
For those of us in this newsroom, Frank Watson is an institution. He has been Jackson County’s Clerk of Court longer than any of us has been reporting on county news.
A natural extrovert who thrives in a crowd, Frank has always been that rare politician who doesn’t play politics. He treats everyone equally, with courtesy and respect for all who enter his office.
He’s genuinely interested in people and takes time to make people who might not be familiar with the court system feel at ease. Perhaps the greatest testament to his popularity and effectiveness is the fact that he has not faced opposition in any of the last five elections – he was serving the people so capably and was so well-liked that potential opponents didn’t waste their time on a race they had little chance of winning.
Through all those years, Frank has been the kind of public official that’s a journalist’s best friend. He’s always accessible and helpful, and if he doesn’t know an answer, he tells you that and offers advice as to where you can obtain the information.
He even has a story to tell about it. Whenever the newspaper took an elected leader to task, Frank would laugh and tell us how his grandpa always told him to stay on the good side of anybody who “buys their ink by the barrel.”
Frank has never been one to take all the credit for his efficiently-run office. If a member of his staff is more familiar with a particular case or procedure than he happens to be, he doesn’t mind admitting it. During a recent interview, he said his biggest talent was the ability to hire competent people.
His court-appointed successor, Assistant Clerk Ann Melton, calls Frank the “most wonderful boss you could ask for,” and said he has always recognized the staff for what they do.
Frank is equally complimentary of Ann, who he says will do a “wonderful” job and has the “greatest work ethic of anyone I know.”
We think he’s right on that score. As much as we’ll miss Frank, we’re delighted to see Ann get the chance she so richly deserves. According to Frank, she started on the bottom rung in the Clerk’s Office 22 years ago and has done every job there.
Like Frank, it’s obvious she takes great satisfaction in meeting people and helping them understand the in and outs of the court system. She’s down to earth and can put anyone at ease, which will be an asset in difficult situations such as competency determinations or probating wills.
Frank’s leaving us all in good hands.
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