Warren County Clerk Barb Daly is retiring in 2018 after 20 years in office and more than 35 years working for the county.The county clerk’s office is up for election this year, but Daly has chosen to move on from the position and let a new clerk take over next year.As the elected clerk, Daly oversees a range of vital functions, from human resources and payroll to organizing elections. She started off as an employee in the clerk’s office.“I started March 7 of 1983 as one of the deputy voter registration clerks, and then went to deputy county clerk for Janis Meyer. She was the county clerk at that time,” Daly recalled. “She pretty much showed me the ropes. She had been clerk for years.”When Meyer decided not to run for re-election in 1998, Daly stepped in. She was elected, and took office Jan. 1, 1999. Since then, a lot of things have changed, both for Warren County and for Daly herself.“When I started, there were maybe 8,000 registered voters, and now we have over 22,000,” she said. “As the county grows, our work grows.”Daly, during her tenure, also witnessed the vast shift of the digital revolution. When she was first hired, she said the clerk’s office didn’t have a computer. Everything was done by hand.But even though the methods of the job were changing, the duties stayed the same. Daly said her time at the county has been very good for her life.“I started as a single mom with two kids. Gosh, it was so nice to have a job,” she recounted. “(The county) has allowed me to work for 35 years close to where I live. When my kids were small, I was close to their school.”Daly’s life has had some big changes in that time. She’s married and has four adult children.Working in her position for the length that she has, Daly said she learned to take challenges in stride, to not sweat the small stuff. Just like any job, not everything is always pleasant, but it’s all manageable.Daly said she is especially grateful for the people she has worked with during that time, many of whom have become her good friends.“If it wasn’t for such good people, fellow employees who worked with me, I couldn’t have done it. Just one person can’t do this job.”This year, Daly isn’t running for re-election. She said it’s time to pass the torch. Time for new blood, new ideas about how things should be done.Warren County Presiding Commissioner Roger Mauzy said Daly’s experience and knowledge have been a major help over the years.“She’s been a godsend. I’ve seen her bail all of us out more than once,” said Mauzy with a laugh. “I couldn’t have stepped into a better spot when I did, working with her.”Southern District Commissioner Hubie Kluesner said many days Daly is the first person in the building, and has shown a devotion to her work. He said she’s been wonderful to work with.“She has the ability to gently steer you in the right direction,” Kluesner said.All in all, they said Daly has been a pleasure to work with, and will be missed.As for what she’ll do next, Daly is undecided.“Who knows,” she joked, “I may want to do something else when I grow up.”

Warren County Clerk Barb Daly is retiring after more than 35 years working for the county and 20 years in elected office. 

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