During the final Lafayette County Board of Supervisors meeting of 2019, and of this decade, there were several key personnel changes made.

Circuit Clerk Baretta Mosley, interim Sheriff John Hill and Constable Jody Mayfield all submitted their resignations for the Board’s approval, effective Dec. 31. All three were accepted and subsequent moves to fill their posts were also made.

Mayfield, who won re-election unopposed in November, decided to step down nearly two months later due to personal reasons. The supervisors will appoint an interim constable during their Jan. 6 meeting, and there will be an election for a new constable next November.

Hill’s post will be filled a few days early by sheriff-elect Joey East. East, who was the Oxford Police Chief, ran to fill the seat his father held for more than 40 years and won in November. The Board approved East to begin his duties on Jan. 1, five days ahead of when he would have officially taken over.

Two days before becoming Lafayette County’s next sheriff, the City of Oxford will honor East’s service as police chief during a ceremony at the Oxford Conference Center.

The move to replace Mosley as the county’s circuit clerk is similar to what the Board did to replace Hill. Current District 2 supervisor Jeff Busby won the election to become Mosley’s successor and was approved by the Board to also begin on Jan. 1.

Busby and District 1 supervisor Kevin Frye served on the Board for the final time during Monday’s meeting. Since running for circuit clerk, Busby was not seeking re-election in District 2, and Frye had opted to run for the District 9 Mississippi Senate seat.

Prior to the meeting’s conclusion, both were given time to say a few words before adjourning for the final time as supervisors of Lafayette County.

“It’s been a pleasure to serve these last eight years,” Busby said. “It’s not just been a job. It’s been friendships made. It’s kind of an emotional time. Three of us got on this board together eight years ago. They haven’t just become friends, they’ve become my brothers. The whole board has. There’s been some very special times and some very trying times, but at the end of the day, we respected each other and served the community the best we knew how.”

All newly-elected officials will officially take office on Jan. 6.