Montgomery County commissioners appoint Latonya Brown to fill District 8 vacancy

Latonya Brown was appointed March 17 by the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners to fill the District 8 vacancy after a multi-candidate selection process and multiple rounds of voting.

Brown, who introduced herself as a U.S. Army veteran and an aircraft mechanic at Fort Campbell, addressed the commission and described her experience in leadership, budgeting and community service. The commission received four nominated candidates for the seat: Ron Sokol, Brandon Kling, David Forbes and Latonya Brown; each was allowed up to five minutes to speak.

The selection followed the county clerk’s explanation of the ballot process. Commissioners cast votes by written ballot and the clerk announced individual votes aloud during tallying. After the final count the clerk announced that Brown had received 11 votes, which the clerk and mayor declared a majority and the appointment was confirmed.

Why it matters: The appointment fills a vacancy on the county legislative body and places a representative in a district that will participate in future budget and land-use decisions. The meeting did not specify the length of Brown’s term or whether the appointment requires later voter confirmation.

What candidates told commissioners: Ron Sokol recapped his 16 years of prior service and asked commissioners to consider his experience. Brandon Kling described his military and local-service background and said he would “serve the people” of District 8. David Forbes emphasized his long residency and concern about growth and flooding. Latonya Brown highlighted her military service, educational background and community work and said she would prioritize education, youth development and small-business support.

Vote details: Commissioners’ votes were read aloud during tallying. The clerk recorded 11 votes for Brown, and the mayor announced her selection as the new District 8 commissioner. Individual votes as read into the record included those in favor of Brown (listed by the clerk as Commissioners Leverett, Lankford, Smith, Walker, Chandler, Woodruff, Beal, Pritchard, Rosnick, Simmons and Shelton) and votes for other nominees (recorded by the clerk for Sokol, Kling and Forbes). The commission announced the result immediately after the tally.

Meeting context and next steps: The appointment was followed by a ceremonial proclamation recognizing outgoing Commissioner Tangie Smith and several administrative announcements, including the county’s new HR director, Colleen Gildee, whose start date was announced as that day. The meeting also included a county invitation to a March 29 public conversation on juvenile detention; organizers said the session would be at the public library from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

No litigation, term length or follow-up filing requirements for the appointment were specified in the discussion or on the record.