For more than 40 years, Ray Gunnin has been serving the citizens of Cherokee County in one capacity or another. As he prepares to retire this week following his second term on the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners, Gunnin took some time recently to reflect on his four-plus decades of service.
Gunninâs career in public service began at the age of 18, when he joined the Little River Volunteer Fire Department. Three years later, in 1980, he became one of the first professional firefighters the Little River department, and continued to work his way up through the ranks. After many of the smaller volunteer departments consolidated to become part of Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services, Gunnin continued earning promotions until being named Cherokee County Fire Chief in 2006. Following his retirement from the fire department in 2011, Gunnin made the decision to run for the District 2 seat on the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners, being elected in 2012 and re-elected t