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Southampton supervisors deadlock on plan to create separate county clerk post
Summary
The board deadlocked 3-3 on a proposal to amend the county code and appoint the administrative assistant, Tina Bradshaw, as county clerk; proponents said it is a common 'housekeeping' move and would formalize duties already performed, while opponents said it would reduce the county administrator's direct control.
The Southampton County Board of Supervisors produced a tie vote on Oct. 22 over an ordinance to amend the county code and appoint the county's administrative assistant as county clerk.
Staff recommended amending the code to let the board appoint someone other than the county administrator to serve as clerk and asked that Tina Bradshaw be named to the post. County administration staff said the assistant already performs most clerk duties — minutes, records and handling public-records requests — and that the change would align Southampton with common practice in many localities.
Opponents argued the code change would shift duties away from the county administrator and potentially alter oversight. One supervisor warned that writing new position descriptions and adding responsibilities commonly leads to salary increases; staff said the county budget includes a roughly $3,500 shift in compensation to reflect the reallocation of duties. “If it ain't broke, don't fix it,” another supervisor said during debate.
A motion to keep the status quo was made and seconded; the board's vote resulted in an apparent 3-3 tie, which by the board's rules caused the motion to fail. The chair said the item can be revisited and noted a request to add a related personnel matter to a future closed-session agenda.
The ordinance included provisions to designate a local FOIA officer and to update the position description to reflect clerk duties. No formal appointment was made while the board decides whether to revisit the change.
Next steps: Supervisors indicated the matter may return for further discussion, including an option to consider it in a closed session as a personnel matter.
