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Iredell-Statesville board deadlocks again over District 2 appointment and chair election
Summary
Board members repeatedly split on whether to seat GOP appointees and whether to hold an internal chair election; motions to add a chair vote and to appoint two different nominees both failed after 3–3 ties and an abstention left another motion short of a threshold.
The Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education returned repeatedly to the unresolved District 2 vacancy at its May 11 meeting, but board split along the same lines that have stalled the seat since January.
Vice Chair presided as the board considered motions to add an immediate election for a new chair and to resolve the District 2 appointment. A motion to amend the agenda so the board would elect a new chair (moved on the floor as required by policy) resulted in a 3–3 tie and failed. “We continue to operate in violation of this policy,” a board member said when urging an immediate chair election, citing Policy 20-200's requirement to fill a vacated chair at the next regular meeting.
The board then debated nominations to fill the District 2 vacancy. One motion sought to seat Charles Kelly, a longtime former board member, drawing supporters who pointed to Kelly’s 20 years of service and five consecutive four-year terms. Opponents countered that Kelly had not participated in the current selection process and questioned whether he wanted the seat. After an abstention was recorded, the motion carried 3–2 on the floor but was treated as failed in practice because of the abstention and related policy considerations.
A separate nomination for Matthew Youngblood, the GOP executive committee’s recommended pick, likewise ended in a 3–3 tie and failed to pass. Board members who opposed the Youngblood nomination objected to ratifying a party appointment without further local vetting; supporters said the executive committee had followed its procedure and that Youngblood was an eligible nominee.
Beyond votes, members clashed over procedure and a disputed April 7 letter from the vice chair to GOP leadership that some board members described as unilateral. One board member said the letter “usurp[ed] the authority of the board” and moved that the board disapprove adopting it as official policy; other members countered the letter reflected legal advice the vice chair had sought. A motion to postpone formal action on that letter passed 4–2.
The outcome leaves the District 2 seat unfilled and the board divided on whether to accept externally recommended appointments or to run an internal selection process. The board moved the meeting into closed session later in the evening to consider personnel and privileged legal matters before completing routine business.
