Concerning time before finding local official once (5)
I believe the answer is:
reeve
'local official once' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.
'concerning time before' is the wordplay.
'concerning' becomes 're' (both can mean on a particular topic).
'time before' becomes 'eve' (the eve of something is the night before).
're'+'eve'='REEVE'
'finding' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for reeve that I've seen before include "One of Chaucer's tale-tellers" , "Pass cable through narrow opening" , "Bird - female of the ruff" , "Pass a rope through a ring" , "Former official - female ruff" .)