Another stalwart of Barry County politics is making his final exit from the courthouse soon, as Barry County Presiding Commissioner Gary Youngblood is a day away from retirement.

On Dec. 19, about 50 people came to wish Youngblood well at a retirement party at the Barry County Courthouse, celebrating his 24 years as a county clerk and the last 4 as presiding commissioner.

Youngblood worked as a plant manager for MFA and maintenance director for Cassville schools before county politics came calling. Circuit Clerk Dick Sanders was running for the State House in 1992, and he had asked Youngblood if a circuit clerk appointment piqued his interest.

“I didn’t know Dick very well, and only because I made payments to the circuit clerk’s office every month,” Youngblood said. “He took a liking to me, I guess; I’m not sure why. I told him I wasn’t sure and I needed some time to think about it. After three or four weeks, I said I would, but he did not win the election so that never came to fruition.”

Two years later, Youngblood knew the county clerk spot was coming open, and the incumbent did not intend to refile.

“Glen Dale and Misha Hull were the assessor and collector, and I visited with them and thought I would go for it,” he said. “I didn’t know much about what all it entailed, but people knew me well enough to elect me.”

A two-election victory, Youngblood beat a familiar face in the Republican primary, current Barry County Commissioner Gene Robbins, then defeated Democrat and then-treasurer Ben Loudermilk in the general.

For 24 years, Youngblood ran the county clerk’s office, challenged twice by Democrats but winning both. Over that time, plenty of changes occurred, one of the largest being the switch from punchcard to optical machine voting.

“We did that in the early 2000s,” he said. “Another big memory from the clerk’s office was in 2000, when myself and five other southwest Missouri clerks went to Florida to be observers in the recount for the Bush-Gore election. That was in December of that year and a big memory. That was a big part of history.”

From the clerk’s office, which works with each other county office in one capacity or another, Youngblood also saw the county moving forward.

“I was in office when the judicial center was built in 2002, and not to my credit, but that was a big deal,” he said. “Moving all the lawyers and criminals out of the courthouse to their own building was a big step. On law day, it would be jam-packed with people standing and hanging over the railings because associate court was upstairs and circuit court was downstairs. It was nice when they moved and we had a little more room to breathe in the courthouse.”

Four years ago, Youngblood transitioned to Presiding Commissioner, a job he had worked in concert with for the past two decades.

“I knew the commissioner job and knew it would be stressful, but it’s not quite the specific attention to detail like in the clerk’s office,” he said. “The clerk’s office is like the superintendent’s office of a school. It deals with every other office from HR to tax levies, elections and the county budget. There are a lot of buttons to push.”

As commissioner, Youngblood’s buttons shrunk in number and grew in size, as he and the commission pressed buttons leading to a law enforcement sales tax passing and a new jail and health department project commencing. He also helped lead the county through the COVID-19 pandemic, a challenge no recent commission had faced.

“My main goal as commissioner was just to make sure the officeholders knew money was not always easy to come by and to not waste it,” he said. “[The sales tax and jail-health department] are important for the future of the county, but I don’t want to take credit for it. I think the jail and health department will be one of those things that, 50-60 years down the road, it will be appreciated. I’m not a fan of all the government spending right now, but I’m glad we used our money for something that will be there and that people will continue to see for many years. The tax, I hope, will be an asset to the voters, and again, I don’t want any credit. I was just part of the team.”

Youngblood is one of a nearly 30-year generation of county leaders, retiring after colleagues like former Presiding Commissioner Cherry Warren, former Collector Janice Varner and former Treasurer Lois Lowe. At his retirement party, the next group now in office thanked Youngblood for his work in county politics and leadership in each of his roles.

“It’s a sign of the times,” Youngblood said. “We were all there for several years together, and that’s just the way it works. I hope the people have appreciated the effort I have put in, and I’m grateful to them for giving me the opportunity.

“In all honesty, to me, it has always been an employment. I’d always been employed all my life, and even though I worked for the public, I worked to pay my bills. I did not do the job in a politicky way because neither job works that way.”

Youngblood was humble when asked what he hoped he and his colleagues would be remembered for after nearly 30 years.

“I don’t need to be remembered for anything,” he said. “[As opposed to a public servant], I saw myself as a public employee, figuring I was employed by the public. I didn’t like the term servant. I did it because the job needed to be done.”