Cindy Wood, 1st deputy to Custer County Clerk Karen Fry announced publicly that she will seek election to succeed her boss as the next County Clerk. Fry recently announced plans to retire after serving 12 years at the end of this term. Wood stated; “Karen has done an outstanding and honorable job for this county. For 13 continuous years I have been with the County Clerk’s office. I have been her 1st deputy for several years, and I don’t take that experience or the excellent reputation of this office for granted. ” Wood was hired by former Clerk, Connie Harris in 2002. In 2011, current Clerk Karen Fry appointed her 1st Deputy. Cindy spent much of that time in the land records office; however, in 2012 she took on the added responsibilities of county payroll and benefits coordinator. “I was excited to expand my experience, not only because of the importance of taking care of our county employees, but it also put me in another office where I gained valuable experience in other aspects of county business that I didn’t see on the land records side”. Wood believes that her consistent years of experience and ability to work with other county offices are unique. “Experience has to matter to have an authentic perspective on how it all works. Serving as County Clerk requires a genuine knowledge of the office, and I would be honored to serve as your next County Clerk.”

Cindy and her husband of 37 years Jerry Wood, moved to Arapaho in 1997. Cindy found work with Western Plains Library System, then with Clinton Abstract before joining the Custer County Clerk’s office full-time. Before moving to Custer County, Cindy worked as an insurance agent for 17 years in Las Vegas, NV.

Cindy and Jerry established The Bridge, a Christ-centered recovery meeting for addicts and families affected by addiction. For several years Cindy facilitated The Bridge Kids for children of addicted parents. Jerry, Lorenzo Dunford and Brian Johnson continue to facilitate the ministry that meets weekly at the Custer County Fairgrounds. Jerry Wood is the Custer County Jail Administrator under Sheriff Bruce Peoples. In 2012, Jerry was honored as Oklahoma Jail Administrator of the year for his work with addicts in the community and the jail. He also serves on the Custer/Washita County Drug Court Team and recently kicked off a new program at the jail called ‘Chains or Change’. Cindy assists as a volunteer, researching educational resources for the program.

The Wood’s have two children and four grandchildren. Their son Bryce lives with his family in Arapaho and works as a technician for the Fine Arts Center at SWOSU in Weatherford. Their daughter Sheree Sears manages a financial services office and lives with her family in Cordell.