Clark scores resounding victory in bid to become Franklin County Coroner

Franklin County residents will have a new coroner starting in January after challenger Jeff Clark unseated two-term incumbent coroner Charles Adcox in Tuesday’s Republican Primary.

Clark’s support from voters was widespread and consistent across Franklin County, as he received 2,661 votes (75.25%) to Adcox’s 878 votes (24.75%).

Clark won 24 of 25 precincts, with the lone exception a 20-20 tie at the Chucky Mullins Center precinct.

Clark, who served as Adcox’s chief deputy coroner until his decision to run for the office, will be reinstated immediately to his chief deputy coroner position, something Adcox asked him to do when the two men spoke Tuesday night.

Adcox said he removed Clark from his chief deputy coroner position only because he was advised to do so by the Alabama Coroner’s Association as a safeguard to avoid any conflicts of interest.

With no Democratic qualifier, Tuesday’s Republican Primary served as the de facto election and Clark will assume office in November after a big win in his first run for elected office. 

“Today was very gratifying,” Clark told the FFP Tuesday evening. “People around this county, if you stop and talk with them for a few minutes, it kind of gives them an idea that if or when something happens, that the one who’s going to come out will have compassion, understanding and actually will want to be there for them. The families are the ones who hurt the most in those times.”

Once he begins his term as coroner, Clark plans to continue working his bus route for Tharptown School, as well as doing maintenance work for local apartment complexes and volunteering with the Phil Campbell Rescue Squad.

Although the coroner’s annual salary in Franklin County will now be $10,000 starting with Clark’s term, it’s far from enough to support a family without other incomes sources.

Clark will be a busy man both at work and at home, where he and his wife Charlotte have a combined 13 children between them, including five siblings they adopted out of foster care when the youngest child was just seven weeks old.

Busy, yes, but Clark said he’ll find a way to make it work at home, because as his political signs read, ‘Family Matters. 

“We took these kids in and you can’t help but love them. Basically, they didn’t have anyone to love them. Within a week of being with us, they said they were home,” Clark said. “And all five got to stay together, happy and healthy under the same roof.”

For Adcox, the disappointing results didn’t prevent him from contacting Clark and congratulating him on his victory. Adcox also sent a statement to the Franklin Free Press that read as follows:

“It has been a pleasure serving this county for the past eight years. I wish the best of luck to Jeff in his new role,” Adcox said. “I have learned a lot and will continue to do my best for this country until it’s time to hand it over.

“And I’d like to thank the voters who supported me,” he added.