Moore Government: County Clerk

HALEY PAYNE ROBERTS
MCO Senior Staff Writer

It is apparent that hometown girl Lacy Ivey is true Moore County through and through. Born and raised here, Ivey is no stranger to the opportunities the county has to offer.

“I was born here and went to MCHS, where I played basketball and softball. I also did gymnastics when Mrs. Cathy Stewart taught it. When I graduated in 2008, I got the Miss Mary Bobo’s scholarship and worked there for two years. It was really cool,” Ivey said.

“I think it’s a lot different down there than it was, but then everybody told us that, too. In 2011, I got married, and we had our three girls soon after.”

“I was a stay-at-home mom for a long time – seven years – before,” she said. “I decided I was going to wait until Penny, my youngest, went to school. But it was an election year, and the County Clerk position would be on the ballot. I thought, ‘Well, we’ll try it out and see.’

“I did shadow Nancy [Hatfield] for almost a year to get a feel for the job. Mrs. Nancy and Gail [Preston] went above and beyond the duties of the office to meet the needs of the community and the customers in this office. I decided I could do it, so I ran and was lucky enough to get the position. My husband really talked me into it and convinced me that I had what it took.”

Though you’ve probably visited Ivey’s office to buy car tags, her work as County Clerk entails much more.

“We do a lot of things here for the county – everything from selling beer permits to providing mobile home decals for installation,” Ivey said.

“You can purchase your business license, apply to become a notary, or get your marriage license. A little-known fact is that a traveling businessperson can get their transient business license here.”

One of the County Clerk’s most important tasks is attending the monthly Metro Council meetings and recording the minutes. After each meeting, the County Clerk is responsible for typing the minutes verbatim and entering them into a minute book, the county’s official record.

If questions later arise about the council’s decisions or what was said, someone can pull the minute book to see what occurred during the meeting.

Above all, Ivey enjoys interacting with people she has grown up around.

“You see a lot of different characters come through the office, and I get to see everyone for one reason or another. It’s so nice to get to know people and for them to know they can ask for help here.

“There aren’t very many people who are lucky enough to get a job 15 minutes from home,” Ivey said.

“I love this position, and I am so happy to be a part of the county’s government.

“Not many people can say they work in the historic building on the town square, and it’s a wonderful place to be. It’s like a Hallmark movie with the small-town theme,” she said.

“Most of the time, you can call people by name as they walk in, and that’s a good feeling. It’s a quaint, happy place.”

Ivey echoes the sentiments of other county government officials: Moore County’s uniqueness cannot be replicated anywhere else, and there truly is no other place like it.