City Clerk Has Passion To Serve
(Editor’s Note: This is another in a series of meeting the community’s public service employees who take care of the residents and businesses in Jasper County and the city of Monticello. This week, Kim Joris introduces us to Monticello City Clerk Carnethia Pennamon.)
Chances are if you are from Jasper County, you will recognize the last name of Monticello City Clerk Carnethia Pennamon.
Her father Carl Pennamon was a much beloved member of the community and a former commissioner and Chair of the Jasper County Board of Commissioners.
“I miss my father every day,” Carnethia said of her father who passed away in September 2020 and who made a huge impact on Carnethia’s life. “I miss him every day. Sometimes, like this morning, I wake up just thinking about him. I’m a Daddy’s girl,” she smiled.
Did she think she would ever work as a public servant after growing up and watching her father? “No, not really,” she said, “I never saw myself doing something like this. I saw what it took from him.” Describing her father as a hands-on type, she shared he was often gone in the evenings and always away at meetings.
A 2010 Jasper County High School (JCHS) alum, Carnethia graduated from Albany State College in December 2014 with a degree in accounting. She had plans to work for an accounting firm in Connecticut that happened to be owned by her cousin. She spent several days in interviews and after a weekend visit, she was hired at the accounting firm in February 2015. Finding out she was pregnant soon after being hired, she changed her plans and stayed home with her parents.
She began working for the City of Monticello in May 2015. Starting as a customer service representative, handling some accounting and working as the utility billing clerk, she learned all of the di?erent o?ce roles. After her father passed away in 2020, Carnethia took some time for herself and went to work for the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners. Returning to Monticello five months later, she was glad to have gained the knowledge and insight from working at a di?erent government entity.
Raised in Monticello, she has lived here most of her life. “I’m a country girl. My friends since daycare tease me about being country, how I talk and how I say things,” she said laughing. But she believes that growing up in the country and in a small town has grounded her and has helped her appreciate the value of community. When the City Clerk job became available, Carnethia jumped at the opportunity. “I wanted to help my community and serve the citizens of Monticello,” she stated.
In her role as City Clerk, Carnethia wears many hats. She is a record keeper for the city and helps with the city’s finances. She assists the mayor and attends city council meetings. She also assists with the Historical Preservation Commission and manages the front o?ce.
Now with two children, Carnethia shared that first and foremost she is a mom. Her oldest son Chandler is seven years old and in the first grade at Jasper County Primary School. She found out she was pregnant with her second child only two months after her father died. Her daughter Carlee, now one, is named after her father. “My father never had a middle name, but he always told me if he did, he wanted his middle name to be Lee,” she said, hence the name Carlee.
When not at work, Carnethia can almost always be found with her children. She is sometimes able to help her mom, Vanessa Pennamon, with her mom’s catering business and she likes to provide snacks for her children’s school, personalizing cupcakes with each child’s name on them. Other times she can be found resting, reading inspirational books or crafting. She also loves flower arranging, adding that growing up she spent much of her time with her dad working outside in the yard. And though she doesn’t work outside as often as she once did, she feels like when she is working outside it honors her relationship with her father.
Eight years later and still working in government, Carnethia confessed, “At first I just needed a job. Now I’ve grown into a passion for this work and the community. It feels good to give back.”
The City Clerk’s O?ce, located at City Hall in Monticello at 123 Washington Street, is open Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and can be reached via phone at 706-468-6062.
