Ann Locklear affirmed as Wagram’s new clerk

WAGRAM — Surrounded by family, Ann Locklear was affirmed as the Town of Wagram’s new clerk during the Board of Commissioners meeting held on Thursday.

Locklear brings accounting and finance experience to the position and holds a degree in Business Management. Locklear handled office management, payroll and other human resources duties while working at Camp Monroe. Locklear most recently served as the lead library tech at the Scotland County Memorial Library.

“I think a lot of that has prepared me for this role,” Locklear told The Laurinburg Exchange.

Locklear official began her duties in October.

“It’s really been an honor for me to have been approved for this position,” the town clerk said. “I have met a lot of folks from Wagram in this past month since I’ve been here and everyone has been so welcoming and I’m excited about working with (the) administration team that we have to provide excellent services to the community and to see what the future holds for us.”

Locklear said she is adjusting “really well” to the role because she feels at home.

“I feel like I’ve known these people I’m working with. Everyone is so friendly and so kind and so down to earth and I just fit it,” Locklear said.

Locklear performed clerk duties at the Thursday meeting with the assistance of Phyllis Lowery, who returned from retirement to serve in the interim role of clerk following Roosevelt Henegan’s termination in June.

“Thank God most of all for this opportunity because it has been a blessing from him,” Locklear said.

In other business, the Board of Commissioners heard from Alicia Monroe, clinical director and CEO of Stephens Outreach Center, who spoke about the organization, its mobile clinic, and mental health. Mayor Barbara Pierce said that there was recently an incident in Wagram involving a veteran who attempted to commit suicide.

“Whether directly or indirectly, we may know family members, friends, or colleagues that suffer from mental illness,” Monroe said.

Monroe told the story of her nephew who committed suicide two years ago.

“He was in the Air Force and he was a very jovial young man, had a lot of friends, (went) out every weekend,” Monroe said.

Monroe said unbeknownst to family, friends and military colleagues, he was suffering internally.

“Unfortunately he decided that he couldn’t take whatever was challenging him … That was a traumatic event for me,” Monroe said.

Monroe said that it’s important to know that everyone suffers from mental illness and substance abuse differently.

“No one wears the same face,” Monroe said. “No one experiences it the same … We’re taught to look for different signs — depression, sadness, isolation, anger — but sometimes that’s not what’s being shown.”

Monroe said the Trillium and Stephens Outreach Center has partnered to provide a mobile unit to provide access to rural communities throughout Scotland County for individuals who are suffering in silence and too fearful to go to the physical office, which is located in Laurinburg.

“They can walk over to the unit and see the same level of care that they can if they walked into a building,” Monroe said. “They have access to a clinician. They have access to a psychiatrist. Everything is done virtually.”

“The mobile unit is just a quick access to help decrease the stigma and to increase access to care,” she added.

In other business, the commissioners:

—Approved Christmas bonuses to all full-time and part-time employees calculated based on the number of years employed. The total cost for the bonuses are $1,125.

—Approved a Christmas dinner for town employees at a cost of $800.

—Approved allowing employee Shevron Morrison a leave of absence for two hours twice a week over the course of four months to attend class to pursue an Accounting/Finance Degree.

—Approved a recommendation to sell surplus property.