Commission rejects confirmation of interim EMS director after hours of debate; votes to advertise for full-time director

Overton County commissioners voted against confirming Chris Mason Gale as the county's EMS director following an extended public discussion and testimony from EMS employees and community members. After the roll call, the commission instead voted to advertise a vacancy for a full-time EMS director for 30 days in local papers statewide and proceed with an interview process.

The vote on confirmation was moved by Randall Boswell and seconded by Roger Carr. After public testimony and a prolonged discussion at the dais, the roll call on confirmation produced three yes votes — Brenda Boswell, Jesse Bowman and Patrick McCurdy — several pass/abstentions and a majority of no votes, so the motion failed. The chairman announced the outcome as “no” and said the county would return to the drawing board.

Why it mattered: Commissioners and members of the public framed the matter as a personnel, public-safety and budgeting question. Proponents said Gale, who has served as interim EMS director and also…