Lake courts clerk retiring — No. 2 hopes to succeed him

Lake County Clerk of Courts Neil Kelly announced this week that he plans to retire, prompting his second-in-command to express his desire to succeed his boss — just as Kelly did more than a decade ago.

“God has truly blessed me with the honor and the privilege of serving the great citizens of Lake County for almost 11 years,” Kelly wrote in a resignation letter Monday to Gov. Rick Scott. Kelly, 65, who was re-elected in 2016, will retire June 30. His term ends Jan. 4, 2021.

On Wednesday, Senior Chief Deputy Clerk Gary Cooney, 57, announced his “desire to uphold the legacy of Neil, and Jim Watkins before him, by continuing to provide superior and courteous customer service while constantly improving the efficiency of the County Clerk’s Office.”

Cooney, a Republican who has been with the Clerk’s Office for seven years, said he is assuming that a special election will fill the remainder of Kelly’s term in November, and he plans to run for it. A message left with Scott’s office about whether the governor will appoint a temporary clerk and set a special election was not immediately returned.

In his letter to Scott, Kelly noted he had the “most wonderful employees” during his 31-year career with the Clerk’s Office. When Watkins retired in November 2007, Kelly was his choice to be his successor. Then-Gov. Charlie Crist obliged, picking Kelly to serve the remainder of Watkins’ term. Watkins, who held the post 34 years, retired as the longestserving clerk in Lake history.

Kelly took a low-key approach to the office. Although the position is elected, he said, “I never considered myself a politician in that sense. I chose to keep my head and mind focused on clerk duties and clerk functions … and not venturing out in other aspects.”

He counted as major accomplishments implementing electronic court filing and providing access to court records electronically.

Kelly said he is endorsing Cooney to succeed him as clerk.