Surry County supervisors elect Breon Pierce chair, approve bylaws after debate

Breon Pierce was elected chair of the Surry County Board of Supervisors at the board’s meeting on Jan. 15, 2026, and the panel selected Mr. Hardy as vice chair.

The board opened the meeting with nominations for chair and vice chair. Nominations for chair included Donald Breon Pierce and William T. Calhoun; after members cast voice votes the chair announced Pierce had received a majority and asked legal counsel whether a second roll-call was necessary. Following the chair election, the board took nominations and voted to install Mr. Hardy as vice chair.

The meeting’s most contested governance item was adoption of the board’s bylaws. Supervisor William T. Calhoun proposed revising Section 8 (elections) to promote rotating leadership—advancing a sitting vice chair to chair the following year—while reserving an annual vote for a new vice chair. Legal counsel (Miss Perkins) cautioned that under standard parliamentary procedure a vote on chair remains required each year and recommended the board defer the exact amendment language for staff drafting and future consideration: “a vote has to happen under Robert’s rules and under our current bylaws,” she said. Calhoun asked Perkins to draft proposed language and initially moved to table; the motion to table failed for lack of a second. Supervisor Hardy then moved to approve the bylaws as presented; the board approved the bylaws by voice vote.

Why it matters: leadership structure and bylaws determine how the board selects future leaders and how the board provides advance notice for agenda items. The discussion exposed differing views about whether the board should adopt a formal rotation or keep annual voting as the controlling rule.

What’s next: legal counsel said she would draft clearer amendment language reflecting supervisors’ concerns for review at a future meeting. The board also approved its 2026 meeting schedule with an added Jan. 7, 2027 meeting date.