One by one, a generation of Barry County leaders has been exiting from courthouse offices over the last few years, punctuated last week again with the retirement of Presiding Commissioner Gary Youngblood.

The lead executive of the county was the second to retire in as many election cycles, defeating the previous retiree, Cherry Warren, in the 2018 Republican Primary.

Youngblood served only one term as presiding commissioner, but he spent 24 years in the county clerk’s office prior.

My interaction with him was mostly around election time, but as a clerk, he was always knowledgeable about happenings in the courthouse.

Working in concert with the county commission and each of the county offices for so many years, Youngblood had a front-row seat to many of the county’s accomplishments.

In his own office, one of the most significant changes came when the county shifted from punchcard voting to digital, the way most of the country has gone since the hanging Chads incident in Florida in the 2000 presidential election.

The former clerk had a small hand in that bit of history, I found out, one of a handful of southwest Missouri election officials to be sent to Florida in 2000 to observe the recount.

It hasn’t been the only time Barry County officials have played a role in presidential elections. Youngblood’s predecessor, Cherry Warren, was an electoral college voter that cast a ballot for President Donald Trump in 2016.

Youngblood, Warren, former Treasurer Lois Lowe and former Collector Janice Varner are a generation of county leaders that spent the better part of two decades in their roles, all in office when I arrived in Cassville in 2014.

Accomplishments they achieved as a group include building the Barry County Judicial Center, exponentially growing the sheriff’s department and jail, building up financial reserves, passing a prescription drug monitoring program, working on getting passing lanes on Highway 37 and more.

The latest steps forward under Youngblood’s leadership include passing a law enforcement sales tax, purchasing land and planning a new jail and health department facility on the west side of Cassville.

Youngblood also led the county through the COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing federal dollars efficiently to bolster the county in many areas of need.

The past four years have been a whirlwind for the one-term commissioner, and he will be the first to tell you he didn’t do it without help.

As the stalwarts of the late 1990s and early 2000s make way, the next group of leaders is stepping in, and they bring with them a heap of experience.

Commissioner Gary Schad, the only elected official on the square that has been there since I started covering the county, is the senior member of the courthouse crew. I should also note that Circuit Clerk Craig Williams has been in that position since I started here, as well.

Schad’s experience will be a great benefit to not only his fellow commissioners — Presiding Commissioner Steve Blankenship, elected this year, and Southern Commissioner Gene Robbins, elected in 2020 — but the rest of the courthouse as well.

The new jail and health department will likely take most of the commission’s attention in the coming months, but what do we hope to see beyond that?

There is a big question mark surrounding the current jail. What will it be used for and how can the county capitalize on that piece of property?

The law enforcement sales tax passing and beginning collection will open up a sizeable amount of general fund dollars, and sales taxes during the COVID-19 grew significantly. What will those monies go toward?

Where can we get the best bang for our buck? Are there services we need that we do not have? Services we need to improve? Should most of this money go into reserves as we stare down an impending recession?

There are innumerable possibilities for the county and directions leaders can go. I’m interested to see what the future holds and what the next group of our Barry County stalwarts can accomplish.

Kyle Troutman has served as the editor of the Cassville Democrat since 2014. In 2017, he was named William E. James/Missouri Outstanding Young Journalist for daily newspapers, and in 2022, he won a Golden Dozen Award from ISWINE. He may be reached at 417-847 2610 or ktroutman@cherryroad.com.