Clay County Clerk Submits Letter of Retirement
The Clay County Commission met on Monday, July 27 for their second and final regular meeting for the month of August. All three commissioners were present. Commission President Joyce Johnson and Commissioner Duane Legg were present and Commissioner David Schoolcraft was present by phone.
The commission quickly took care of routine county business. They approved minutes from the previous meeting, bills, purchase orders, budget revisions, erroneous assessment as presented by the Assessor, fiduciary appointments as presented by the County Clerk: appointment of administrators, last wills and testaments, and affidavits and waivers of final settlements for estates.
The commission accepted one new hire for the Ambulance Service: Jerry Moorehead.
The commission reaffirmed the Clay County Emergency Absentee Voting Procedure, which has been effectively in place since February of this year. This means, if you are involved in an emergency, admitted to a hospital, hospice or other such institution, even a nursing home and have not voted, you can call and an absentee ballot will be delivered to you. This will happen within the week prior to and including election day itself.
If your admission is more than thirty days, that does not constitute an emergency (you could have requested a mail-in ballot). Your ballot will be counted.
The Commission was presented with and adopted the Clay County Goes Purple Resolution. West Virginia Goes Purple was founded by Tara Mayson, founder and executive director of The Hope Dealer Project, and is a statewide movement dedicated to raising awareness, reducing stigma, and supporting individuals and families affected by substance use disorder.
Under this Resolution September 2026 will be identified in Clay County as Clay County Goes Purple. Residents are encouraged to wear purple, light homes and businesses with purple lighting, display purple ribbons, participate in recovery focused events and initiatives, and support individuals and families impacted by substance use.
The Commission heard from Terry Martin regarding the proposed grant financing of the New 911 Center.
If there was a sudden surprise at this month’s meeting it was the Letter of Retirement from County Clerk Shelia Stone, effective August 15. “No Emergency,” Shelia told me after the meeting, “I’m just old.” She laughed as she talked about visiting grandchildren and doing life at a slower pace. She does have a recommendation to replace her, but she is tight lipped. “That is up to the Commission,” she said. Whoever the Clay County Commission selects, will continue until 2028 when a new County Clerk will be elected. The commission reluctantly accepted her retirement. Good Luck Shelia.
The next County Commission regular meeting will be Monday, August 10, 2026.
