Holmes County trio sworn in to serve 4 years
Holmes County Municipal Court Judge Andrew Hyde, left, swears in Holmes County Sheriff Tim Zimmerly as part of the oath ceremony on the county courthouse steps on Monday, Dec. 30.
Every county is run by government officials who are elected to serve the people of their respective counties.
On Monday, Dec. 30, a trio of Holmes County public elected officials took an oath on the steps of the Holmes County Courthouse to continue to do their best in serving the people of Holmes County.
Recently reelected longtime officials Joe Miller, Holmes County commissioner; Timothy Zimmerly, Holmes County sheriff; and Chris Young, Holmes County engineer, were sworn in amid a crowd of family, friends and others who gathered to celebrate the event.
In welcoming all in attendance, Commissioner Clerk Susan Schie thanked all for coming to the swearing-in ceremony for the trio, noting Holmes County Municipal Court Judge Andrew Hyde would administer the oaths for each elected official.
Hyde swore in the three officials, then pored over some of the history of each.
Commissioner Miller has currently given 22 years of service to the county in his role, Young has 24 years as the county engineer and Zimmerly has 36 years of service as sheriff, the three men combining for 82 years of serving Holmes County.
“In a recent Wall Street Journal article about Holmes County, economists noted that Holmes County holds lessons for the rest of the United States,” Hyde said. “These economists also struggle to identify Holmes County’s foundation for success.
“These three elected officials share a vision and continued commitment to providing a safe place for residents to live, to providing exceptional public roadways, as well as a shared commitment to advance public infrastructure, improve sanitary sewer systems, and broaden infrastructure access to businesses and residents throughout Holmes County.”
He said with this foundation in place, these three value the ingenuity of the community.
Hyde went on to talk about how Holmes County is blessed with diversity and the ability to adapt, filled with industrious and energetic people who work hard, and is a place where innovation thrives.
“These three didn’t come here to be something; they came here to do something,” Hyde said. “And they believe they have made a difference.”
Finally, he said they take their responsibilities seriously and are honored to serve the county and its people and look forward to doing so for the next four years.
Rob Hovis, Holmes County Republican Party chairman, also expressed his gratitude.
“The Holmes County Republican Party is proud of these three officials for the manner in which they represent our party and in helping to lead our county,” Hovis said.
He said the vast majority of Americans go to work every day, doing important work. However, he said most Americans don’t take an oath to do their work and serve others.
“Most people don’t swear an oath that they will do that job faithfully,” Hovis said. “What we’ve witnessed here this morning is a verbal contract, a verbal commitment between public officials and the citizens of the county, that they take their work seriously and they will do the best of their ability to perform it well. I think that’s important. Every person who has a job should probably do that, but these three people have done that today, and I respect them for that.”
And with the trio of public servants being officially sworn in, they move to 2025 hoping to give their best in their ongoing pursuit to do what is best in the interest of the people of Holmes County.