F. Barry Wilkes, clerk and administrator of the superior, state, juvenile, and magistrate courts of Liberty County announced Friday that he is not seeking reelection and is retiring on December 31 after 33 years of service, ending a career that began on November 13, 1984. His longtime chief deputy clerk, Linda G. Thompson, qualified for election on Friday and will run unopposed in the primary and general elections this year. She will take office on January 1, 2017, becoming the first female clerk in the county’s and the local superior court’s 227-year history.