Commission appoints Latanya Brown to fill District 8 vacancy after public candidate presentations

The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners appointed Latanya (Tonya) Brown to fill the District 8 commission vacancy after a public nomination and voting process at the March meeting.

Four candidates were nominated in order listed on the agenda: Ron Sokol, Brandon Kling, David Forbes and Latanya Brown. The commission allowed each candidate up to five minutes to address the body. The county clerk explained the voting procedure: ballots preprinted by district, rounds of voting with elimination after zero votes, and that a majority of the county legislative body is required for appointment.

Ron Sokol told commissioners he has 16 years' experience "where you have" and asked for their consideration, saying he is retired and can dedicate time to service. Brandon Kling described his military service and family circumstances and said his core values are "service before self and excellence in all I do." David Forbes said he retired from the Army in 1992 and emphasized a desire to serve; Latanya Brown described a decade of military service, her work experience including supervising personnel at Fort Campbell, a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Bethel University, and community involvement including coaching for Parks and Recreation and volunteer work.

After private ballot rounds, the county clerk read votes publicly and announced that Brown received a majority, stating, "We have 11 votes for Brown." The clerk declared Brown appointed to the District 8 seat. The mayor congratulated Brown and noted appreciation for all applicants.

No motion, second, or roll-call vote by show of hands was recorded; the selection used the clerk's preprinted-ballot procedure and public readout of results. Candidates were permitted to withdraw during the process; no withdrawals were recorded.