2023 Lafayette County Election Candidate Bios — Chancery Clerk, Tax Assessor

Voters will be casting their votes in elections for statewide, regional and local positions next Tuesday.

In Lafayette County, residents will be voting for four Supervisor district elections, chancery clerk, coroner, two Justice Court Judge races, sheriff and tax assessor/collector.

Each day this week, Hotty Toddy News will run the bios of each candidate in two opposed Lafayette County races. Candidates will be listed in alphabetical order.

The bio information is provided by each candidate and therefore, will have different formats. The candidates supplied the information to the Lafayette County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office.

All bios are available to read on the Circuit Court Clerk’s website.

Today we visit the candidates running for Chancery Clerk and Tax Assessor/Collector.

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Chancery Clerk

Lloyd Oliphant (independent)

• Lifelong resident of Oxford / Lafayette County
• Married to Donna Busby Oliphant, four children and four grandchildren
• Owner of Lloyd G Oliphant & Sons Paint Co., Inc., 2001-2023. Contributed over $2.5M to our local economy through payroll, local purchases, and taxes.
• Past President Board of Supervisors. Our Board cut property taxes; partnered with the City and sold the hospital resulting in our new Baptist Hospital facility; and at the end of the term our Board left over $30M in our county reserves.
• Six years Army National Guard / Nine years Reserve Deputy Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department
• If elected Chancery Clerk, my promise to you is commitment, respect, availability, and confidentiality. If I may answer any questions, please feel free to reach me at 662-816-8101.

Mike Roberts (Republican)

• Lifelong resident of Lafayette County
• Son of Hon. Ed Roberts and Celia Roberts
• Married to Ashley Roberts
• Two children, Emma Hayes and Max
• Lafayette HS Honor Graduate & Hall of Fame
• University of Mississippi, Business Admin/Accounting
• Mississippi College, Criminal Justice/Business
• 12 years Lafayette County Supervisor – Current Board President
• EDF Board Member
• Three Rivers PPD Executive Committee Chairman
• Three Rivers PPD Board of Directors
• Owner of Roberts Insurance Agency
• Licensed L&H agent for over 20 years
• NAHU Member
• Avid outdoorsman

Marsha Theobald (Independent)

• Married to Jack, Captain with Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department
• Three children—Lane (15), Greer (4), Gentry (3)
• Lifelong resident of Lafayette County
• Graduate of Lafayette High School (2007)
• Studied business at Northwest Community College and The University of Mississippi
• 16 years of business and administrative experience
• 12 years as Office Coordinator with Ross Family Dental
• Owner and manager of local small business—Jumpin’ Jack’s Inflatables and Event Rentals
• Active member Community Church Oxford
• Member of Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce
• Named Top 20 under 40 Young Professionals by Oxford Magazine (2023)
• Skilled in management, finance, record keeping, computer technology, communication, leadership, decision-making, problem-solving, and customer service
• Committed to faith and family, dedicated to hard work and serving others

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Tax Assessor/Collector

Shelia Busby Kelly (Republican)

• I am a lifelong resident of Lafayette County and the daughter of Dwayne Busby, the late Sylvia Busby, and Melba Busby.
• Married to Bobby Kelly. I am blessed with two children, Kevin Ray and Kristi Yancy (Derrick), four grandchildren, two bonus adult children and seven grandchildren.
• Graduate of Lafayette High School
• Attended the Business and Industrial Complex for Business and Accounting
• Graduated from Northwest in Business and Accounting
• Endorsed by Sylvia J Baker, current Tax Assessor/Collector
• 13 years of experience as Deputy Tax Collector/Assessor and bookkeeper
• Certified by the State Auditor and MS Dept of Revenue as Collector of Revenue I & II & Accounting I
• 13 years prior Experienced land records, recording, mapping, and court records
• 26 total years of dedication, experience, knowledge, and fairness to serving the tax-paying citizens of Lafayette County

Rocky Kennedy (Independent)

Married to Leslie Case Kennedy with two children, Brennice and Case Kennedy. From the moment I was appointed by the Board of Supervisors and through the past four elections I’ve been the leader, the manager, the elected official at the front of your praise while never denying to own the blame when mistakes were made. The value of my success came from the expectations I created in those who trusted and elected me to serve. 

My experience as the elected leader of a county office is neither exaggerated nor fabricated. My leadership has been in front of the public and not behind a desk. I’ve projected and maintained a yearly departmental budget. I’ve managed my staff and established continuity and familiarity in my office while stressing education, certification and training.

Education and certifications: 

• Georgetown College, Bachelor of Integrated Business Administration &  Communication Management 
• Mid-America College, Associate of Funeral Service Technology 
• Certified Medical Examiner Investigator 
• Sudden Unexplained Infant Death Investigation 
• Funeral Service Licensure, Mississippi State Board of Funeral Service 
• Electronic Death Registration System, Mississippi Vital Records 
• Pre-Planning Counselor 
• Previous Mississippi Insurance Licensure 
• ICS-402, Incident Command for Senior Officials 
• Mass Fatality Planning and Incident Response 
• Public Information Officer Training Program 
• ESF-8 Public Emergency Support Function 
• SURGE, SORT, SUPPORT: Behavioral Health for Professionals 
• Active Shooter: Safety and Security Solutions for Schools 

For 15 years I’ve operated my office in the Tax Assessor’s Suite in the Lafayette County Chancery Building. My professionalism, leadership, organization and communication skills will lead and improve an office that I’ve worked alongside daily. I will be proficient in all operations as the assessor/collector and will pursue Appraiser Certification, having been missing since the retirement of longtime assessor/collector Martha Thornton, who has endorsed my candidacy. 

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Staff report