by Tammy Taylor
Staff Writer
Frankie Knight found her niche early in life.
Shortly after graduating from Lafayette High School in Lafayette, La., Knight, the candidate and records director for the Supervisor of Elections Office, went to work for city government. Her first job was for the utility department in the Louisiana city. She later became a telephone systems operator.
Knight moved to Jacksonville in 1960. After moving to the beach, she got a job with the City of Jacksonville Beach. She remained there for over 24 years.
“I worked in the city clerk’s office and handled all things coming in the city, and I worked with elections for the city,” she said.
Knight went to work in the Supervisor of Elections Office in 1992. She has held her current position since 1993.
As the candidate and records collector, Knight has the responsibility of registering petitions and handling financial disclosures for election candidates and elected officials.
“We try to work with candidates to make sure they have all the necessary contribution and expenditure reports,” she said. “It helps keep them out of the limelight of the media.”
She said that everyone at the office is involved in the day-to-day activities because of the amount of work. The only frustration she has is making sure everyone and everything is handled properly during an election year.
Working for city government was not on the to-do list when Knight was in high school. She dreamed of becoming a nurse.
“In high school, I took diversified education, and I worked in a hospital,” she said. “Back then they used ether a lot and if I’d go into a room, I’d faint.”
That debilitation ended Knight’s aspirations to be a nurse.
Knight still lives at the beach with her husband. She has two children, both paramedics, and five grandchildren with ages ranging from 15 to 22.
She and her husband frequently travel to Golden Valley, N.C., where they own property. They also spend their free time traveling the South in their camper.