Muscogee County’s first female sheriff sworn into office

Muscogee County’s newly elected sheriff Donna Tompkins beamed Tuesday afternoon while taking the oath of office at the City Services Center.

As the first woman to hold the position, Tompkins placed her hand on a Bible held by her husband and swore to “faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all duties” to the best of her understanding.

Her eyes glistened with tears as she tried to suppress the emotion.

It was a historic moment that many in the audience captured by cell phone before erupting into cheers and applause.

Among those present were her children, siblings and 78-year-old mother, all of whom beamed with pride.

Superior Court Gil McBride administered the oath of office during a Columbus Council organizational meeting and proclamation/resolutions session. Tompkins was required to repeat two oaths — the official oath for the office of sheriff and a loyalty oath required for constitutional positions, said McBride.

In addition to Tompkins, five city councilors also were sworn into office — District 2 Councilor Glenn Davis, District 4 Councilor Evelyn Turner Pugh; District 6 Councilor Gary Allen; District 8 Councilor Walker Garrett; and District 10 At-large Councilor Berry “Skip” Henderson.

The council unanimously re-elected Pugh as Mayor Pro-Tem, a position she has held for many years.

Tiny Washington and Lindsey Glisson were re-elected clerk of council and deputy clerk of council, respectively.

In other business, the council passed resolutions honoring two retirees from the Tax Commissioner’s Office — Chief Deputy Tax Commissioner Darrell “Tony” Floyd, who is retiring after 19 years of service, and Tax Clerk Rose Brown Sullivan after seven and half years of service.

Tompkins, 53, replaces John Darr, who ran as an Independent, in the general election. When the results were inconclusive, the two faced a run-off with Tompkins in the lead. Tompkins won the run-off in December by a margin of 51.67 percent to 48.33 percent.

The new sheriff leads an office with 441 full- and part-time employees and a fiscal budget of $27.5 million. Duties include the operation of the Muscogee County Jail with 950 to 1,000 inmates daily, serving civil papers, providing security for the courts and other duties.

During the swearing-in ceremony, Tompkins’ husband, Greg, could hardly hold back tears as his wife took the oath of office.

“I’m very pleased, very proud of her,” he said after the ceremony. “It’s been a long road, and we’re just glad it’s finally here. She’s ready to get to work.”

This story was originally published January 3, 2017 at 7:56 PM with the headline "Muscogee County’s first female sheriff sworn into office."