Lincoln County School Board elects Sammy Tucker chair; vice chair decision deferred

Sammy Tucker was elected chair of the Lincoln County School Board at the Feb. 3 meeting after nominations from the floor and a roll-call vote that produced a 5-2 tally.

The vote followed board discussion of the policy that governs filling a chair vacancy, which the board summarized as directing the vice chair to serve as acting chair until an election at the next regular meeting if a vacancy arises. With that policy in mind, members nominated two candidates from the floor and then voted by roll call.

The nominations produced two candidates: Martha Tallman and Sammy Tucker. After the roll call, board leadership announced a 5-2 vote in favor of Tucker and declared him chair. Board members present said the vice chair position would be handled at the same meeting only if the new chair’s selection vacated the vice-chair seat; because that did not occur, the board proceeded with the chair vote now and deferred the vice chair decision.

When the board voted on the vice chair later in the meeting, the roll call produced a 4-3 split. The board recorded that result and said the vice chair selection would be brought back for resolution at the next regular meeting.

The session followed normal roll-call procedure: members were called by name and asked to state their choice. The board did not record a named mover or seconder for the nominations in the transcript; the outcome was recorded by roll call and announced by the presiding officer.

The election came early in the agenda after the student council presentation and before other business including facility-use requests and policy votes.