Conventional wisdom is that it is a woman’s prerogative to change her mind.
Sequoyah County Court Clerk Gina Cox exercised her prerogative earlier this week.
Cox, who was elected in November 2020 to a four-year term as court clerk, submitted her letter of resignation on Dec. 8 to the county commissioners. But before the commissioners could meet to accept her resignation and appoint a successor, Cox changed her mind and rescinded her resignation.
Therefore, it was as if it never happened.
The about-face by Cox relieves the commissioners of appointing someone to fill the court clerk seat, which would have been until Dec. 31, 2024. And that’s fine with District 3 Commissioner Jim Rogers, who says he prefers the voters decide who should fill an elected office.
Rogers confirmed last Wednesday that Cox had tendered her resignation, and that the commissioners had scheduled a special meeting to accept her resignation and appoint a successor.
Brandi Chandler, secretary to the commissioners, said a notice of the special meeting was posted for 1:30 p.m. the following Monday, then rescheduled for noon on Wednesday. Oklahoma Open Meetings Act requires notice of special meetings be posted 48 hours prior to the meeting. Both Rogers and Chandler confirmed that last Monday’s meeting was canceled, and that before the Wednesday meeting, Cox rescinded her resignation, which effectively canceled that rescheduled meeting.
District 2 Commissioner Beau Burlison, who serves as chairman of the commissioners for 2023, also confirmed the resignation timeline. District 1 Commissioner Ray Watts was contacted for comment, but did not respond.
Rogers said Cox reconsidered her resignation, and has chosen to fulfill her obligation, remaining in the position to which she was elected.
Had Cox not changed her mind, according to the posted agenda for the Wednesday meeting, the commissioners were expected to accept her resignation, then adjourn to executive session to discuss appointment of a new court clerk for the balance of Cox’s term, then reconvene in general session and possibly appoint a replacement.
Rogers said several people had expressed an interest in being appointed to the seat, but since no vacancy occurred, the commissioners did not have to act.
The REGISTER reached out to Cox for comment, but she did not respond by press time.
Additionally, the newspaper reached out to Jari Askins, administrative director of courts for the Oklahoma Supreme Court, regarding any counsel she provided to the commissioners regarding the resignation. She also did not respond by press time.
The General Election for Sequoyah County seats is Nov. 5, 2024.
