By Charles Warner

cwarner@civitasmedia.com

Gault
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_Freddie-Gault.jpgGault

UNION COUNTY — Union County Clerk of Court Freddie Gault will resign the office he has held for the past six years to become district liasion for US Fifth District Rep. Mick Mulvaney.

Gault, who has served as clerk of court since 2009, announced Monday morning that he is resigning to take the position on Mulvaney’s district staff.

“I have been offered a position with Congressman Mick Mulvaney and I have accepted that job opportunity,” Gault said. “I talked with the Governor’s Office this morning and informed the governor I’ll be resigning as clerk of court effective Dec. 4. I will start with Congressman Mulvaney’s office on Dec. 7. I will be his district liasion.”

Gault said that his job as district liasion will require him to travel throughout the 10 counties that make up the Fifth Congressional District. He said he will be meeting with both local officials and the general public in those counties to gather information on their needs and relay them to the proper authorities.

“I’ll be going to places like Union and meeting with local officials about things like economic development,” Gault said. “I’ll also be serving as the contact for the public for any questions and needs they might have and get them to the people who can address them.”

Gault said that while he has enjoyed serving the people of Union County as clerk of court, he felt the opportunity to work as district liasion was too great to pass up. He added that being Mulvaney’s district liasion will allow him to continue serving the people of Union County.

“In considering this, I felt it was a great opportunity for me,” Gault said. “Mick Mulvaney is a great guy and I look forward to working with him and learning from him. I will still be able to help the people of Union County, just in a different role.”

Gault said that the time between now and the date of his resignation will be busy as he takes steps to ensure that everything is in order when he leaves and that the transition between himself and his successor — who will be appointed by Gov. Nikki Haley — will go smoothly.

“It will be busy between now and Dec. 4 as I will be requesting an audit of my accounts and requesting that SLED come up and inventory my evidence room,” Gault said. “I informed the governor this morning that I will work to make sure there is a smooth transition.”

Gault said he wanted to thank the staff of the Clerk of Court’s Office for all their hard work and the support they’ve given him during his tenure as clerk of court.

“I want to thank my staff,” Gault said. “I met with them this morning and informed them. This is probably the hardest part in my decision-making, leaving my staff. They are the hardest working group of people I’ve ever seen. They never get the praise they deserve for the work they do. Me and my family consider them part of our family.”

For their part, the staff of the Clerk of Court’s Office issued the following statement on Gault’s impending departure.

“He’s been a good boss, a very good boss. We’re going to miss him dearly, he’s worked really hard. He’s been a great asset to this office. We’re going to miss him.”

Gault also thanked the people of Union County for allowing him to serve them as their clerk of court.

“I just want to thank the people of Union County for the opportunity to serve as clerk of court for the past six years,” Gault said.

Gault was appointed clerk of court in Oct. 2009 by Gov. Mark Sanford to fill out an unexpired term. In 2012, Gault ran for and won a term as clerk of court in his own right.

At the time of his appointment, Gault made history as the first Republican to hold county office since the late 1870s. In winning a term as clerk of court in 2012, Gault became the first Republican to win election to county office since the end of Reconstruction.

Prior to his appointment as clerk of court, Gault spent 27 years in law enforcement, retiring as a captain from the Union Public Safety Department.

Charles Warner can be reached at 864-762-4090.