Currituck County grants leave to Commissioner Owen Etheridge and authorizes fast-tracked, public temporary appointment process

The Currituck County Board of Commissioners voted to grant Commissioner Owen Etheridge a leave of absence for illness under North Carolina General Statute 128-40 and authorized initiating a public application process to temporarily fill the District 5 seat.

The county attorney told the board that the general statute permits the board to allow a commissioner a leave of absence and to decide whether to open applications for a temporary appointment by majority vote. The county manager and attorney recommended a public, competitive application process if the board chose to fill the seat temporarily; the process would need to be transparent and cannot be conducted in closed session. The board discussed a fast-tracked timeline to have a temporary appointee ready for the first regular meeting in November if possible.

Board members emphasized residency requirements: any temporary appointee must reside within District 5 (the Moyock area). Staff recommended posting the vacancy notice on the county website and social media immediately and leaving the recruitment open for at least seven days to collect statements of interest, then conducting quick interviews or using a small review panel to make recommendations to the full board. The county attorney also recommended including Commissioner Etheridge’s requested leave end date (Jan. 1, 2026) in the motion; the board included that date and adopted the motion by voice vote.

The board did not conduct candidate interviews during the meeting; staff will post the vacancy notice and return to the board with applications and a proposed interview schedule. The process and any appointment will be handled in open session as required by statute.