Todd Co. Judge-Exec resigns

Hours after a Todd Fiscal Court meeting ended in controversy Friday, Todd County Judge-Executive Daryl Greenfield announced his resignation.

Judge Greenfield issued a news release saying, “It is with a mixture of emotions that I announce my resignation. Prior to seeking the office, I recognized numerous challenges faced by our community.  Among the most pressing challenges was the County’s fiscal instability.  It has been my privilege with the assistance of others to put the county back on track toward fiscal stability.”

He goes on to say the day-to-day challenges serving as Judge Executive are taking too heavy a toll upon his family and health.  He states he has lost the support of Fiscal Court as “a result of their reliance upon the advice of others” and can he no longer effectively serve.

Greenfield has overseen economic growth and many successes in his seven years as judge-executive, including construction of the Todd County Career Path Institute and the announcement that Novelis will invest $300 million and create 125 new jobs at a plant in Guthrie. The county has gone from struggling to pay its bills to paying off some loans early while maintaining a healthy cash balance in the bank—thanks in large part to job growth and an increased emphasis on collecting delinquent taxes.

The largest controversy of Greenfield’s tenure was likely his and fiscal court’s decision to shut down operations at Todd County’s airport—Standard Field. That demand went ignored and lawsuits between the Todd County Airport Board and fiscal court are pending in Circuit Court.

Governor Matt Bevin will appoint a new judge-executive for Todd County to serve out the remaining months of Greenfield’s term, with Democrats Kent Knight and Todd Mansfield running for the job in the May primary. Magistrate Jimmy Turner, who has the longest tenure on fiscal court at 20 years,  will at least initially serve as acting judge with the seat vacant.