Board tables appointment to Sussex County Community College trustees after members raise process concerns

The Sussex County Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 1, 2025, voted to table an appointment of Earl Shick to the Sussex County Community College Board of Trustees after multiple commissioners said the county's search committee had not reviewed candidates and cited state education statute requirements.

Commissioner Allen Henderson, speaking during the appointments portion of the agenda, told the board he had "no idea of how this process worked" and said he had spoken with college officials who told him the search committee had not met or seen applicants. Henderson said the statute governing county college trustee searches—cited in the meeting as Title 18A, section 18A-64a—requires a five-member search committee and that the county currently had only three members appointed. He said the board should defer the appointment pending counsel review and a proper search-committee process and moved to table the appointment.

A staff member, Ron Tappan, responded that "the search committee is put together to interview . . . candidates" and described how recommendations have been handled in the past for candidates who were known to commissioners. County counsel (referred to in the meeting as Kate) said she would need to review the statute before offering an opinion.

After discussion and a second, the motion to table passed on the board floor. The chair directed that the item be addressed further at a future meeting after review by county counsel and clarification of the search-committee process.

The resolution at issue was described in the meeting as the appointment of Earl Shick to the Sussex County Community College Board of Trustees, with the term to begin immediately and expire Oct. 31, 2028. Commissioners asked that the record show the board proceed in a transparent manner that complies with applicable law before finalizing the appointment.

Commissioner Henderson said the issue was not about the candidates themselves but about "what's transparent and what's right for Sussex County." The board's motion to table was seconded and carried; one commissioner registered an abstention during a later related roll-call sequence when other appointment items were considered.

The board did not finalize the college appointment and will revisit the item after county counsel reviews the statutory requirements and the search committee's membership and activities. No replacement appointment was made at the Jan. 1 meeting.