On Wednesday, Nov. 16, the Cullman County Commission grew from a three-person to a five-person commission when the four commissioners were sworn into office and began their work serving Cullman County. We sat down with the established commission and the newcomers to get to know them.
The new guys
Commissioner Kelly Duke has lived in Welti his whole life, starting school at Welti before graduating from Holly Pond High School in 1990. Self employed at Affordable Automotive, a family business he started with his brother Kerry in 2001, Duke earned a bachelor’s degree from Athens State University. Married to his wife Randa for 17 years, Duke is the father of Tanner, Tate and Tess, who is married to Griffin Morris.
Duke said he is ready for his new responsibilities to the citizens of Cullman County.
He shared, “I am excited to be a part of a new style of the Cullman County Commission. Going from a three-person to a five-person commission, we will be laying the foundation for the future of the commission. If we do our jobs well and work together, we will make jobs of future commissioners better and the future of Cullman County even brighter!”
Commissioner Corey Freeman grew up in Brushy Pond and attended Cold Springs schools before home schooling while working at a family service station in Dodge City. Freeman attended Wallace State for criminal justice and worked as a volunteer fire fighter in his community. He now works in law enforcement at the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office. Freeman is the father of two sons and is proudly married to wife Tonya.
He shared, “Public service is a huge passion for me. I enjoy helping our citizens in any way possible. This is my biggest like in working in our Commission and for the people. Our communities deserve leaders who care about them and their families. I strongly believe that to be elected to this office one should be there to listen and communicate with our citizens and do everything possible to make our county the best it can be. This will definitely be challenging and not everything will happen overnight but communication goes a long way in my opinion.”
The old hats
Commission Chairman Jeff “Clem” Clemons has dedicated his life to working for the betterment of Cullman County and its citizens. Starting off as a dispatcher at the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office in 1986, the deputy sheriff worked in investigations, patrol and was captain of the Special Projects Division. He retired after 33 years with the department.
Clem grew up in Bug Tussle and is a graduate of Cold Springs High School and the Jefferson County Law Enforcement Academy. He has been married to his wife Deborah for 33 years. Clem’s stepson Justin has been with Cullman County Sheriff’s Office for 18 years.
He shared, “Serving is a passion. I served the citizens of Cullman County all my life and it’s truly an honor just to be serving the citizens of this great county. We have some good guys here and I think we’ll continue to have good men on the commission that we can work with to make progress.”
Commissioner Garry Marchman has worn many hats in his lifetime. The Jones Chapel native grew up farming and graduated from West Point High School in 1981. Never afraid to get his hands dirty, Marchman worked at Americold and other local factories before joining the military. Upon his retirement, Marchman returned to what he loved – cattle and crop farming.
Elected three times to the commission, Marchman has served on the commission since 2014. He shared, “Even though it can be a thankless job, every now and then you get an opportunity to do something good for somebody and that’s what I like about it. Those little things that come along that you can do that makes a difference in people’s lives- that’s the reason I do it.”
Marchman is married to wife Bobbi and father to four adult children ranging in age from 28-40 with a grandson and granddaughter and a great-grandson on the way.
Commissioner Kerry Watson graduated from Fairview High School in 1981 and worked with the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office for 16 years before moving to the Cullman County Sales Tax Office as a revenue agent in 2004.
Serving on the commission since 2014, Watson said, “I’ve always like helping people and I felt like the commission was the best way for me to help the community and do what was right by them and represent them the way they ought to be represented. They blessed me with the chance to serve the community and to continue to serve them. I feel very honored to represent the people of Cullman County.”
Watson has been married to Rena Sparks Watson for 37 years, and is father to Jessica Watson Brooks and father-in-law to Nathan Brooks. The newest addition to the family, 10-month-old Watson Owen Brooks, is the first grandchild of Watson and his wife Rena’s and the first boy in his family in over 18 years!
