One Monticello Life – Jim Glennon, Candidate for County Judge
May 20th, 2012 by Mandy Moss
Jim Glennon was born and raised in Possum Valley by parents James and Glenda Glennon. “I have three sisters and a brother that are still living. My baby sister died when she was six of spinal meningitis. I was 9 or 10 when she died. It was one of those situations where you ask God, “Why didn’t you take me instead of my baby sister?”
Growing up, there was little time for the Glennon children to find trouble to get into. Working as a family was top priority, and living out in the country meant that if you wanted entertainment, you created it for yourself.
“We grew tomatoes, and at that time of the year there was nothing to do but work. We made our own fun, playing in the hay loft or walking in the woods. There wasn’t a whole lot to do what you didn’t invent yourself… kick the can down the road, that’s what you did for excitement. Until we got a bicycle, then you could drive a few miles down to the neighbors and play with their kids. You didn’t have neighbors close by like if you lived in town. Just getting to their house was part of the adventure.”
Jim attended Drew Central Schools and graduated from DCHS in 1973. After graduation, he went right into the work force.
“During my school years I hauled hay for Ferris Knowles. I started that around age 15, maybe sooner. I stopped around age 18 because I went to work for Georgia Pacific on the road crew until I was 19. At 19, I joined the ARMY.”
Mr. Glennon said that he ended up in the ARMY by chance. His real goal was to be in the Navy.
“I wanted to join the Navy, but the recruiter was out for a couple of weeks and the ARMY recruiter was there. He told me the Navy recruiter wouldn’t be back for a while but I could come and talk to him, and I ended up in the ARMY. That guy was good at his job, that’s for sure!”
“The ARMY was one of those life changing experiences that everyone needs to go through. You learn discipline, team work, and having other people’s backs. You learn to work with people of all sorts, sizes, shapes, colors, and ethnicities…working together for a common goal and having to trust in one another.”
“I spent most of my time in Germany. I was stationed there, it was non-combative. I’d be in Germany for 3 years, stateside for a year or so, and then back to Germany for 3 years. It was not a pleasant time when you were doing it, but now, looking back, you remember the good things, not so much the mud and the snow.” “I spent a few years in Berlin behind the wall…. That was a very life-changing experience. After being there, it’s really odd to know that wall is gone now.”
Today Mr. Glennon wears many hats in the community, and he says he enjoys spending his life serving others.
“Life is busy until I go home and collapse. I’m the fire chief for the Possum Valley/Greenhill Fire Department, serve on the cemetery association in the Valley, and I’m on the Greenhill Brooks Chapel Water Association Board. My paying job is I’m a compliance officer for the CDF [County Detention Facility].”
“The job is stressful. I do a little bit of all of it, from IT to cleaning out sewers.” “Dealing with the inmates can be interesting, a lot of them are good folks that don’t mean you any trouble, but it only takes one or two to make your day.” “It’s certainly not for everyone. Some of our turnover with staff is because people come in thinking it’s just a job…. and it’s not just a job. You can’t have a thin skin because you’ll be called everything but a child of God every day, you just can’t let it get to you.”
“I can tell you that people don’t really appreciate what the staff goes through on a day and night basis. They definitely don’t get paid enough for what they put up with.”
When asked why he decided to run for County Judge, Mr. Glennon said that he just now felt he had appropriate time to dedicate to the position with the passing of his parents.
“My mom passed away December of 2010. As long as they were alive, family came first, and in their later years they needed a lot of personal attention. It didn’t cross my mind then, but I’ve always liked government since I was a young boy. The chance to make a difference is great with government. With my age, if I waited much longer, it wasn’t going to get checked off of my bucket list.” “When Mr. Lampkin decided he wasn’t going to run again it created an opening that needed to be filled.”
Jim Glennon said there are several issues that are close to his heart that he wants to address as Judge, and he feels well qualified to handle the position with his past experiences.
“I want to find the solution to this Intermodal Facility out here and make it right for Drew County. I’m not sure it’s that way right now.” “I want to help our local fire departments find money to help them do some things better. They’re doing a fine job now but things aren’t cheap anywhere.” “I want to continue the work that Judge Lampkin has done on road improvements and continue to improve the roads that need to be… get the people out of the mud and dust. There are still a lot of people in Drew County on dirt roads. I hope the people that got the road improvements won’t forget how it was to live that way when it comes up for tax purposes again. It’s going to be a big issue.”
Mr. Glennon said that the two major issues people have come to him with since he announced he was running for County Judge is the upkeep and improvement of county roads, and bringing jobs into the county.
“People want roads taken care of and clean, and they want jobs brought into Drew County. We have industries that have shown an interest in using Intermodal but we have no utilities out there…they’re not coming until we turn the lights on.”
“I have to work to get people to hire our own Drew County people on projects that are coming up.”
“We have to get out and beat the bushes. We have to look smaller, or adding on a shift or a couple of people here or there to build it slowly, to be realistic and start changing things. I want to make a positive difference… a step forward is a step forward, whether it’s a baby step or a giant leap. “
To expand on his realistic approach to helping industry in Drew County, Glennon said that the road improvement issue will go hand in hand with accomplishing the task.
“If we could get some of the feeder roads to the industries that are already here to be more easily traveled, I think it could make a big difference. Like Old Dermott Road, let’s make that road wider and allow truck traffic, residential traffic, and school bus traffic to safely operate. That’s a step forward towards progress for Drew County. It may take a couple of years, but it will be worth it once it’s accomplished.”
Mr. Glennon said he feels very equipped to handle the issues that will be presented to him as Judge. When asked what has prepared him he answered, “Stress and discipline.”
“The ARMY was stressful at times, but this building [CDF] is much more stressful. The judge’s office is a stressful position, no doubt. The discipline and common sense and being able to work with anybody I learned in the military will take me far with the job. In the military you are a mother, father, doctor, counselor…. You have to find solutions now, not later. You have to know how to deal with things when they happen. Discipline, common sense, a good upbringing, and great neighbors, people I still ask for insight on major life decisions, have prepared me.”
Of all the tasks required of the judge, Jim Glennon said that his main goal is to simply make positive progress for the County, and keep things moving forward.
“If given the responsibility of that office, I will work as hard as humanly possible to make a positive difference for Drew County.”
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