Clerk of Court set to retire Dec. 31

The joy of birth has led to the excitement of retirement.

Tonya Leggett’s recent pride and joy prompted the clerk to submit her retirement paperwork, effective Dec. 1. Senior Resident Wayland J. Sermons, Jr. has appointed Washington attorney Amanda G. Bramble to fulfill the term.

“The effective date of my retirement is Dec. 1, 2024, which is not the end of my term, but I have been blessed with a beautiful granddaughter. I decided to retire so I can care for her,” said Leggett.

When Leggett became the deputy register of deeds in 1989 she didn’t have her eyes set on a political future, but fate sometimes takes its course.

The Bear Grass High School graduate was raised in Martin County and, after graduating from Martin Community College with double associate’s degrees, was asked by Tina P. Manning to become the deputy register of deeds.

However, it was former Martin County Clerk of Courts Phyllis Pearson that hired Leggett in 1993, taught her the inner workings of the department encouraged Leggett to run for the elected position.

“I had never really thought about running for any political position, until my clerk Phyllis G. Pearson decided to retire. At that time Phyllis and I spoke about the possibility of me becoming clerk. I discussed this with my husband, Brian, and my co-workers, Jenny P. Weller and Joan H. Leggett. Having received encouragement from my co-workers, and a lot of prayer, I decided this was time to take a leap of faith,” said Leggett.

Leggett prides herself in helping Martin County residents, many unfamiliar with the court system, while offering guidance on how to navigate the services.

“The average person doesn’t have to deal with the court system very much, so when they do need some guidance I enjoy being able to provide that guidance,” said Leggett. “The best part of my job is creating new families through adoptions. The feeling of seeing children welcomed into a loving and healthy home is just the best.”

While watching the adoption process is joyful, Leggett also has a front row seat watching people face their most difficult times and early on it affected the clerk.

“This was the one area I had the hardest time with, when I first became clerk, I tended to bring everything home with me,” she recalled. “It would take a toll on me physically and mentally.

“I was fortunate to have some great mentors, including my predecessor, Phyllis Pearson, and surrounding clerks from Second Judicial District. I would call, vent, and seek guidance from those with experience,” she added.

Currently one of the challenges Leggett’s department faces is coming from the state. The entire state record keeping system is converting to an all electronic cloud-based record keeping system. The new system streamlines the court process and enables online record keeping.

“This is the most challenging experience we have ever had and one of the most significant challenges in the last 30-plus years. The Administrative Office of the Courts rolled this out in Martin County on Feb. 5, 2024,” Leggett said. “My staff and I had approximately two and half months to complete all the necessary training, while still maintaining the daily functions of the office and the courts.

“This has been a hard transition, but one that I was determined to see thorugh before retiring,” she continued.

Most recently, Leggett was awarded the Rachel Joyner Award by the North Carolina Conference of Clerks for her exemplary service.

While Leggett’s husband, Brian, is an avid adventurer, recently completing a Mount Everest base camp trek, Tonya looks for more challenging adventures of taking care of her most recent treasure.

“My immediate plans are to spend more time with my family, and I plan to keep my granddaughter. I plan to make her my daily priority and I plan to spend all the time I can with her. I think I will pass on Mt. Everest,” said Leggett.

She closed by saying she appreciated the citizens of the county.

“I would like to thank the citizens of Martin County for trusting me to serve as the Clerk of Superior Court for the past 19 years,” Leggett said. “I leave a well-trained and experienced staff in the Clerk’s office.

“Over the years, I have appreciated the kindness and compliments directed towards myself and my staff. I have no doubt that my successor and the staff of the Martin County Clerk of Superior Courts office will continue to provide professional and courteous service to all the citizens of Martin County,” she closed.