Long County’s elected officials — new and old — were sworn in this past Saturday at the Long County Senior Citizens Center.
Probate Judge Marie Middleton welcomed all in attendance, then was the first official to be sworn in. After Superior Court Judge Paul Rose of the Atlantic Judicial Circuit swore Middleton in, she gave the oath of office to the remaining elected officials.
Brenda Wingate took the oath as the magistrate judge for Long County, while Frank Middleton was sworn in as the county's clerk of court.
Next, Becky Fowler was sworn in as the new Long County tax commissioner, and Leah Hughes took the oath as the chief deputy clerk for the tax commissioner.
Dempsey Golden was sworn in as a member of the Long County Board of Education, representing the 2nd District. Golden also is the chairman of the board of education.
Middleton then administered the oath of office to Sheriff Cecil Nobles, who began his 11th term.
Middleton also swore in Cliff DeLoach as the lone, re-elected Long County commissioner representing the 4th District, and she swore in Wallace Shaw, who represents the 2nd District.
Three new commissioners were sworn in: DavidRichardson, representing the 1st District, Andy Fuller, representing the 3rd District, and Bobby Walker, representing the 5th District.
During the ceremony, a few officials commented on the future of Long County.
Shaw, who was also a commissioner from 2000-2004, said: “There are several things I want us to accomplish. First, I want us to finish several of the projects. We’ve already started one — the E-911 project.

“We also have to continue growing, but we have to grow as a controlled growth, and we need commercial growth to go along with our residential growth.”
Middleton said she was “pleased” by the turnout.
“We had more here today than we did last year, and I think everything went well,” she said.