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Pender County commissioners swear in new members; chair vote deadlocks, appointments made
Summary
Three newly elected commissioners took the oath of office. The board failed to elect a chair after multiple nominations and a 2-2 split; the board appointed a county attorney and clerk and left officer elections for a future meeting or special session.
Newly elected members of the Pender County Board of Commissioners were sworn in and the panel confirmed a county attorney and a clerk Tuesday, but commissioners were unable to elect a chair after nominations ended in a split vote.
Judge Ken Harold administered oaths to incoming commissioners during a reorganization portion of the meeting. Commissioners sworn in included Bridal George, Ken Smith and Brent Springer (as identified in the meeting record).
The board opened nominations for chair and vice chair under the rules described by meeting staff. Commissioner Randy Burton and Commissioner Bridal George each received nominations for chair; the chair vote produced no majority and the board moved to nominations for vice chair, which likewise failed to yield a majority. With votes deadlocked at 2-2, commissioners discussed scheduling a special meeting or recessing the current meeting to a date certain so all five members could participate. The county attorney advised that a 2-2 tie on a motion would not pass and that the board could carry an item to a later meeting.
Although the chair and vice chair positions remained unresolved at the end of the public session, the board did take two formal appointments: Trey Dermott was appointed county attorney after a motion and second; and Alexis Stanfield was appointed clerk to the board following a motion and second. During the clerk discussion, Stanfield confirmed her HR paperwork lists two titles: "clerk to the board" and "administrative assistant to the county manager," and commissioners discussed the statutory implication that a clerk can generally be removed only by the board.
Commissioners also discussed logistics for scheduling a special meeting that would allow all five commissioners to participate in officer elections. They were advised by legal counsel that, since validation of remote participation is unsettled by recent court rulings, the board should avoid relying on remote votes for officer selection.
What happens next: commissioners said they would either recess to a date certain at the end of the meeting or call a special meeting so that all members can participate in electing officers.
