Knox County Board of Education elects Christie chair, Wright vice chair

At a Sept. 8 special-called meeting, the Knox County Board of Education elected Miss Christie as board chair and Travis Wright as vice chair following nominations and roll-call voting during the board’s annual reorganization.

Board members opened the special meeting with a brief procedural review of nominations and voting. "Board members, you will nominate someone, that, then that person must be seconded," said Mr. D'Eplier, who reviewed floor procedure before nominations began.

The board received two nominations for chair: Miss Christie and Reverend Butler. Board members were instructed to state the last name of the nominee when called for a vote. Several members answered aloud during the roll call; the board clerk summarized the result as "4 votes for Doctor Butler and 5 votes for Miss Christie," and the chair declared Christie elected chair by a 5-4 margin.

Nominations for vice chair produced two candidates, Miss Pike and Travis Wright. Following a similar roll-call process, the clerk announced "4 votes for Miss Pike and 5 votes for Mister Wright," and Wright was declared elected vice chair by a 5-4 margin.

Earlier in the meeting the board approved the meeting agenda. The motion to approve was recorded as moved by Mister Triplett and seconded by Miss Christie; the board voiced approval and the motion carried.

The reorganizational actions were completed without amendment to board rules; after the elections the meeting was adjourned and the board resumed later the same day for a scheduled workshop at 5 p.m.

Votes at a glance: Christie elected chair, 5-4; Wright elected vice chair, 5-4. Where individual roll-call responses were read aloud during the meeting, the clerk recorded named votes; the clerk also provided the final tallies as reported above.

The board did not record a roll-call vote by recorded yeas and nays for the agenda approval; the motion passed on voice vote.