Circuit Court Clerk Tanya Hodges Retires Early, Daniel Priddy Sworn in as New Court Clerk

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
An early retirement from Edmonson County Circuit Court Clerk Tanya Hodges will speed up the process of her predecessor taking his new role as Circuit Court Clerk. 

Daniel Priddy was sworn in today as the new clerk in the lower courtroom of the Edmonson County Courthouse by Chief Circuit Judge John Grise.

Hodges announced her retirement earlier this year, with her term ending in December of 2024, however, she recently felt like her best choice was to move up that date since Priddy was the only one running for what would be her vacant position.

Priddy's term will begin on May 1, 2024 as Hodges' last official day as clerk will be Tuesday, April 29th.

Daniel Priddy speaks to the crowd at today's swearing-in ceremony.

"We're excited for Daniel's tenure, we're sorry to see Tanya Hodges retire," said Chief Circuit Judge John Grise, who gave the oath of office to Priddy. "I've been in a lot of counties and a lot of circuits over time and in the 40 years I've been a lawyer, Tanya Hodges is as good of a circuit court clerk as I've seen anywhere, and I've seen a lot of them."

Priddy addressed the large crowd in today's courtroom after we was sworn in.

"I want to thank everybody for being here today," he said. "It really does mean a lot to me. When I started with the state police, now almost 20 years ago, I always hoped that I'd be able to finish my career service here at my home and serving the people of Edmonson County, so this is something very special to me."

Daniel Priddy with wife, Stephanie.

Priddy, who stepped down from the KSP in December of 2023, served 19 years in various roles. He most recently was the Public Affairs Officer for KSP Post 3, which includes Edmonson County. Priddy was a true professional in his roles with KSP and was an exceptional Public Affairs Officer, always handling the job with excellence and transparency with the Edmonson Voice and other news outlets.

Priddy has been no stranger to public service, even outside of the KSP. His work earned him KSP Post 3 Trooper of the Year in 2018 and then statewide Trooper of the Year in 2019.

He has been active in local programs like D.A.R.E., Cram the Cruiser, Coffee with a Cop, and multiple school programs in Edmonson County.

Priddy gave credit to whom he described as great past circuit court clerks, "in my opinion, the best that the state had to offer," as he referred to Hodges, Sharon French, and Ann Stewart.

Hodges, who has served in the office for a total of 34 years, serving since 1987 in various roles. She has served Edmonson County as Circuit Court Clerk since 2012.

She said she has loved the job and has been very thankful to have served in her roles over the years, but now it's time to move on.

"I'm going to take the summer off, then I'm looking forward to being a full-time Grammie," she said with a huge smile.

After Priddy credited the three ladies that had served as former clerks over his lifetime, he said he wanted to continue in their footsteps.

"I can't do it by myself and I'm glad to have these deputy clerks," he said as he pointed to the current staff who was present at today's event. "I knew coming into this that they have the knowledge and experience, but over the last few weeks I've gotten to see how they treat people, the respect they give people when they walk in the office, and it shows they truly care about the people of Edmonson County. Hopefully, that will be the strength of this office going forward, and hopefully, we'll be successful as we go," he said.