Montgomery County Chancery Clerk Ryan Wood is seeking his second term in the 2019 election, and he is running unopposed in his bid.
Elected to the office in 2015, Wood expressed his gratitude to the citizens of Montgomery County for entrusting him with the office of chancery clerk.
“I am very thankful for the opportunity to serve the people of my home county as chancery clerk,” Wood said. “I’m honored for the ongoing support and confidence the people in this community have bestowed upon me, and I will continue to work diligently in my efforts to make this county even better. Thank you for allowing me to serve for four more years.”
Since Wood took the helm of the chancery clerk’s office in 2016, he has served the county in many capacities. He is the county administrator and oversees human resources and accounts payable for the county. In addition, he is the purchasing clerk, inventory clerk, records administrator, and comptroller. He serves as clerk of the Board of Supervisors and keeps the minutes of the board and ensures the board’s orders are executed.
In his various roles as clerk, Wood has worked to improve the purchasing system as well as the payroll function of the county. He has improved the land redemption process and established an electronic filing system for land deeds. He has also taken the chancery clerk’s office paperless, with digital records of chancery court records and land records.
Wood also worked with North Central Planning and Development District to streamline the county’s technology and make sure all the county’s digital data was secure with advanced firewalls and other security measures.
“North Central Planning and Development District now handles all of the county’s IT maintenance,” Wood said.
Keeping with his plan to improve efficiency in the county, Wood led the efforts to outfit all county buildings, with the exception of the Montgomery County Courthouse, with LED lighting. Working with Entergy to create more energy efficiency at the Montgomery County Justice Court Complex, the Department of Human Services, the Montgomery County Health Department, the Montgomery County Emergency Operations Center, and the Montgomery County Extension Service, Wood was able to replace the lighting at these buildings at only 30 percent of the cost – the other 70 percent of funding received through a rebate program through Entergy.
As the human resources officer of the county, Wood developed an employee handbook for all county workers and instituted a drug-free workplace policy at the county.
To improve communication and transparency between the county and its citizens, Wood led the efforts to create a Montgomery County website and Facebook page. The website provides citizens with online access to property tax information, insight to the various roles of each county department, important announcements and event details, and contact information.
“I’m really pleased with the response we have gotten on our Facebook page and website,” said Wood.
Wood also is an active member of the community outside the duties of his office. He is a member of the Winona Rotary Club, serves on the board of directors for North Central Planning and Development District, and serves a little league baseball coach in the Winona Recreational League.
A 1996 graduate of Winona Academy and a 2009 graduate of Delta State University with a degree in Business Administration, Wood returned to his hometown of Kilmichael and settled down to raise a family. He and wife, Laura Leach Wood, have enjoyed raising their daughter, Lennie Kate, and son, Hudson, in the family-friendly environment Montgomery County affords. He served as mayor of the Town of Kilmichael for two terms before being elected as chancery clerk.
Wood said he is proud to be a part of a great team of officials and employees working for the county.
“I appreciate the hard work and leadership of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors and all the elected officials,” Wood said. “I am also thankful for all of our county employees who are dedicated to serving all the people of Montgomery County.”
