NATCHEZ — Paintings lean against filing cabinets, a handful of papers sit on his desk and less than two weeks stand between Tommy O’Beirne and retirement from the public office he’s held for nearly three decades.

“Before this is done, I’ve got to go through 28 years of files and papers and keep what is important,” he says, stopping a few minutes later to clarify that he’s been doing that for the past year. “I’ve worked through 95 percent of it already. What I’m talking about is really probably things from the last five years.”

O’Beirne is leaving office on a happy note, not as a defeated incumbent but as a five-term official who decided now was a good time to gracefully bow out.

He’s been chancery clerk since 1988, but an elected official for 36 years. Prior to the clerks’ office, O’Beirne served a term in the state house of representatives and a portion of two terms as county prosecutor.

The Adams County Board of Supervisors — a body for which he has served as clerk in his chancery position — honored him this week by naming the records room in the chancery annex after him.

“It was a wonderful gesture on their part,” he said. “It was incredible that they would do that, and that I would be remembered in the courthouse — it was unbelievable.”

During his time in office, O’Beirne has overseen the digitization of courthouse records, and by next April 31 years of digital images of deeds and mortgages will be available. That’s a legacy he said he is happy to be leaving in the record room.

“I think that is important for the attorneys when they do their work,” he said. “They can sit at the computer and do their deed work all in one spot instead of having to pick up a big book, move it over, pick up another one, five different times.”

During his time in the clerk’s office, O’Beirne said he also saw the county government transition from the old beat system to the current unit system of government.

“Back then, all the supervisors had their own work barns, and their own crews, and pretty much ran things in their district,” O’Beirne said. “With the change to the unit system, we have a single unit of government, we fund one form of government and one road manager. I think the change has been good for the county, because we have more control over the funds, you don’t have people hiring relatives, that kind of thing — it is a more efficient form of government.”

O’Beirne has known since January he wasn’t going to seek office again, and since then has been putting things in order for whoever would ultimately replace him. Since October, he’s had weekly meetings with chancery clerk-elect Brandi Lewis, and O’Beirne said he believes the transition will be a smooth one.

“Thinking that I won’t be here next year has been sad in one sense, but in another way I am content that I am moving on to another station in life,” he said.

“I’m going to take time off to be happy and see what I want to do for several months — and maybe I won’t do anything after that, either.”

In the chancery clerk’s office, he has also served in the court when residents have needed drug, alcohol or mental commitments, and O’Beirne said that kind of work was part of what kept him running for office.

“I always enjoyed being around people and helping people, and part of doing that — helping people — was what made me want to come into an elected position,” he said.

When the question of what he wanted to convey to the people who kept him in office through the years was put to O’Beirne, he had to pause, emotional, and ask for a few moments.

His response came later, written.

“I have been blessed by the citizens of Adams County in allowing me to serve them for over 36 years,” he said. “I am very thankful for the many years of entrusting me to the offices I’ve held.”