County attorney departing after 28 years
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Ringgold County Attorney Clinton Spurrier in front of the courthouse.
After serving Ringgold County for 28 years, Clinton L. Spurrier announced his departure as County Attorney for both Ringgold and Taylor County.
“I’m taking a position with the Attorney General’s Office that will be in the Civil Litigation Division,” says Spurrier, “I’ll be assigned primarily to Department of Corrections matters.”
While Spurrier takes on some civil cases in his current position, he does more work on the criminal side.
“I also have dealt with Department of Corrections at various times through my criminal prosecution,” Spurrier states.
Spurrier’s long tenure with Ringgold County began in February of 1996 when he was recruited by the Ringgold County Board of Supervisors after long-time attorney Arlen Hughes passed away suddenly.
At the time, Spurrier had been working in Woodbury County as an assistant county attorney, and was already considering a return to the area.
His first day in Ringgold County began early in the morning with court hearings that lasted until mid-afternoon. After adjourning from court, he made his way downstairs to introduce himself, but no one was there.
“The first day I worked was a county holiday,” Spurrier chuckled.
Most county employees were off work for the day in observance of President’s Day.
While serving as Ringgold County attorney, he began splitting his time with Taylor County in July of 2005. Spurrier has served as a shared county attorney the last 19 years.
Ringgold and Taylor County boards of supervisors met in special session last Thursday to accept Spurrier’s resignation, effective in early October.
“I’ve just been blessed to be able to serve the people here in this position for over 28 years,” says Spurrier, “A lot of attorneys don’t have that kind of tenure, so I just appreciate the amount of time I’ve been able to serve here.”
His dedication to the local area was evident in all that he did.
Spurrier was recently recognized as the 2022 prosecutor of the year by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Law Enforement Bureau.
DNR Officers Corey Carlton and Andrea Bevington nominated him for the award.
“While Mr. Spurrier may not partake in much outdoor recreation, his advice, knowledge, and most importantly his availability with the officers, are key to his successful prosecution record,” the nomination stated.
Spurrier is spending his last month working towards wrapping up as many cases as he can.
“He’s given us a little over 30 days notice so he can tie up some loose ends and do what he does best–take care of the county,” Ringgold County Supervisor Chair Steve Knapp stated during a KMA interview. “So, he’s going to work with us and he also said that if we can find someone here in a reasonable amount of time that he would help with that transition.”
The two county boards have approved advertising for the position in hopes of appointing someone rather than holding a special election.
Since it is too late in the year for the position to be included on the November ballot, an appointee could serve out the remainder of Spurrier’s 4-year term, expiring in December 2026.
The public does have a right to petition for a special election up to 14 days from publication or after an appointment is made.
