Connie Ladner announces campaign for Circuit Clerk

GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) - We now know of at least one person running for Harrison County Circuit Clerk, and she's no stranger to the job. Connie Ladner is currently chief deputy in the Circuit Clerk's office. She's held that title for the last 15 years under Gayle Parker.

Ladner announced her plans to run for circuit clerk Wednesday morning, at the Harrison County Courthouse. She says with her more than 30 years experience in the circuit clerk's office, she would be ready to hit the ground running.

If elected, her first priority, would be to reach out to young voters. "It's very frustrating to have 100,000 people registered to vote, and in the last judge's race only have 9,000 people vote." She went on to say, "We've got to do something about that. And if it means education, if it means going out into the community speaking to civic groups, organizations, then that's what we're going to do."

Connie Ladner has been in the circuit clerk's office since 1984. She says she has been working towards running for this position for the last ten years, but it was really when she was diagnosed with cancer two years ago that she decided it was time to get serious.

"I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and at that point it became real to me. This is not a dress rehearsal. This is life. I'm cancer free, and it's a new beginning. It's a new beginning and this is the way I want to start."

Gayle Parker has been Harrison County's Circuit Clerk for 24 years. She announced earlier this month, she would not be seeking re-election. Connie Ladner is the only person so far to qualify for the Circuit Clerk's race. The deadline to qualify is February 27th.

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