MIRANDA JAMISON

The race for Ray County collector will not feature a challenger this August as the incumbent seeks another term.

Julie Chowning is seeking re-election as Ray County collector in the Aug. 4 election.

“I’ve worked in the collector’s office for 22 years and I still feel blessed to go to a job every day that I truly enjoy,” stated Chowning.

Chowning, 56, calls Ray County home, having moved here as a second grader in 1976. A high school graduate, she has worked in Ray County throughout her career, beginning with a summer work program at the Chamber of Commerce at age 15 before later working at Walmart and the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. She joined the Collector’s Office in 2004. She and her husband, Mike, have been married 40 years and have three children, Emily, Caleb and Lyndsey, along with four grandchildren and one on the way.

“I like helping people and I enjoy the responsibility and challenges the collector’s office brings,” she said. “Over the years, this office has beco…