Board elects Danny Bailey as vice chairman with agreement on next-year rotation

The Carroll County Board of Commissioners elected Commissioner Danny Bailey as vice chairman at the Jan. 7 meeting.

The motion that carried named Bailey for 2025 and included language about who would serve next year. Montrell McClendon moved to nominate Danny Bailey "contingent upon, next year, Ben Hicks would be the vice chair; after that we will go into sequential order." Steve Fuller seconded McClendon's motion. The county attorney advised the board that while enabling legislation requires the board to elect a vice chair at its first regular meeting, the board may adopt a policy governing how it plans to select future vice chairs; any policy could be changed later. The clerk read the motion back to the board before the vote.

There was extended discussion among commissioners about whether the board should follow a strict sequential rotation, whether new commissioners should be exempt if they were uncomfortable, and how seniority or the prospect of commissioners leaving office could affect future selections. Commissioner Ben Hicks said he was "okay with that" arrangement when asked.

After discussion the board voted; the chair announced, "Motion carries 6-0." The clerk recorded the result and next steps.

The vote and the recorded motion create an expectation that Bailey will serve as vice chairman for 2025 and Hick s (Ben Hicks) for 2026, with the board returning to a sequential rotation thereafter; the transcript shows commissioners agreed to revisit the process in future meetings if needed.

Votes at a glance: Vice chairman election — Danny Bailey nominated (motion by Montrell McClendon, seconded by Steve Fuller); announced vote: Motion carries, 6-0.