Vickey B. Locke has only been Selma’s finance director for

about three weeks, but things are already changing.

Locke, who’s left-handed, has rearranged her office to accommodate her favored hand &045;&045; a feat in itself. Papers lay stacked on her desk as she spends time reviewing files, meeting personnel and figuring out the nuts and bolts of Selma.

One of those nuts and bolts is the city’s general fund, which includes around 1,400 different accounts such as revenue, expenditures, even office supplies.

“Each department has several, several accounts,” said Locke, 44.

As finance director Locke is responsible for the city’s financing, which includes the administration of grants and enterprise funds.

She’s also in supervision of “any dollar that comes in and any dollar that goes out.”

Locke came to Selma with 22 years of experience in city government. Starting out as a clerk with the City of Montgomery when she was 19, Locke worked her way up to comptroller before leaving to start her own business.

“You start out at the bottom and work your way up,” she said.

As comptroller, Locke was the administrator for all federal and state grants for the city, as well as capital project funds. After 22 years, though, Locke said she wanted to have her own business and work with governmental entities.

That led her to retire and form her own company &045;&045; Management Solutions &045;&045; where she managed projects for non-profit companies.

“It’s just coordinating stuff,” Locke said.

For example, if a non-profit wanted to build an office Locke would talk with the architects, keep an eye on the finances and coordinate the entire effort.

Three years after forming Management Solutions, though, Locke has found herself back in public service.

“You’re able to help a lot of folks,” Locke said of why she chose public service as a career.

Locke currently lives in Autaugaville with her husband, James &045;&045; also a former public servant with Montgomery. She spends her free time gardening, fishing and golfing. It’s about a 30-minute commute between Autaugaville and Selma, and Locke said she’s planning on relocating to the city.

Her favorite parts of Selma are the historic sites, especially the homes.

“I could go and walk up and down those streets all day and never get tired,” Locke said of the historic district.