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Baldwin County Clerk of Superior Court Mitch Longino will be vacating his position at the end of the year, he has announced.
Longino stated his intentions in a press release received by The Bulletin this past Tuesday.
“I am writing to announce my retirement from the position of Baldwin County Clerk of Court, effective Dec. 31, 2023,” he wrote. “It has been a profound honor and privilege to serve the residents of Baldwin County for the past eight years as your clerk, following 21 years of dedicated service as a deputy clerk.”
Longino, who also serves as clerk of the state and juvenile courts, has appointed Chief Deputy Clerk Wanda Paul as the interim clerk of court until his current term expires. The seat will be up for election in 2024.
Paul was a deputy clerk in the office from 1981 through 1988 and chief deputy from 1998 until 2004, when she resigned to work as the system analyst for the administrative office of the Courts of Georgia until 2018. Before returning to the clerk’s office as chief deputy this year, she worked for one year as a software support specialist for the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners.
“Wanda is exceptionally skilled and eminently qualified to assume this vital role in Baldwin County,” Longino wrote. “Baldwin County is fortunate to have an individual with her wealth of experience taking the reins in the Clerk’s Office.”
Longino was Chief Deputy until retiring clerk Rosemary Fordham appointed him to take her place in 2015. He was elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020.
Longino said Tuesday morning the issues that arose concerning the clerk’s office earlier this year have nothing to do with his career change.
“My wife and I have been talking about it. This has been the plan forever. The situation has changed a little bit over the year, but I am excited to retire and let Wanda take over.”
He said he is not sure of his plans now.
“I’ve got some thoughts and ideas. But, I’m going to take some time off for a while, then check out some things, find the next portion of my life.”
The clerk’s office was the subject of an investigation in early March after Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney Wright Barksdale said he had learned of activities in the office that he considered questionable and requested that the GBI look into the situation.
His office recused itself. The GBI initiated an investigation into Barksdale’s concerns, interviewing office personnel and reviewing documents and files.
Chief Deputy Clerk Kimberly Brown resigned her position effective March 24, and Longino was absent from the office for approximately three months for undisclosed reasons. Deputy Clerk Angie Ramage was appointed Chief Deputy in early April, but Paul, who was working for the county at the Government Center, was then tapped to take over in June.
Paul said Tuesday morning she had been helping retired Wilkinson County Superior Court Clerk Cinda Bright in Loningo’s absence.
“While he was gone, I was helping Cinda. I would come in early in the morning, then go to work at the annex, then come back, and we would work until 8 or 9 at night.” When Longino returned, he asked her to take the position as Chief Deputy, she said.
“I never dreamed I’d be back in this position to be back in the clerk’s office,” she said. “But, I have never left the ‘clerk’ world. Every job I have had since left the clerk’s office involved with the courts.”
There has been no word of any disposition of the GBI investigation, which began nine months ago and concluded in late July.
GBI special agent Justin McAllister said this past Monday afternoon that he could not comment on the matter.
“The only update I can give is it was turned over to the Attorney General’s office on July 24 of this year,” he said, “and it is still being reviewed right now.”
The Communications Director Kara Richardson for that office confirmed that the report had been received but would not say what action might be taken. It is being viewed as a criminal investigation.
“Our prosecutors are reviewing the file provided by GBI to determine appropriate next steps,” Richardson wrote in an email. “Since this is still an open matter, I’m unable to share any additional details at this time.”