Lumberport council accepts recorders resignation, appoints Linda Exline as new recorder

The Lumberport Town Council on March 3 accepted the resignation of town recorder Shannon Lopez, dated Jan. 30, 2025, and the mayor appointed Linda Exline as Lopezs successor, who was sworn in during the meeting.

Council recorded the acceptance of Lopezs resignation on a motion by Micheal Stire, seconded by Thomas Exline; the motion carried. Mayor Lexi Mayfield then announced the appointment of Linda Exline as Recorder. Council formalized the appointment by recorded motion, and Mayor Mayfield administered the oath of office to Exline at the meeting.

The resignation was noted in the minutes as having been received prior to the Feb. 3 meeting; the council recorded the acceptance at the March 3 session. No vote tallies were provided in the meeting minutes beyond the repeated notation "motion carried."

During the meeting a visitor, Don Myers, addressed the council and said he planned to have the mayor and council removed, asserting they were "in office illegally." The visitor left the meeting after making that claim; the council did not announce any follow-up action in response to the statement on the record.

Council also held a brief executive session from 6:47 p.m. to 6:53 p.m.; no substantive actions from that session were announced when the council returned to open session.

The council accepted the city clerk/financial report and discussed staffing in the clerks office. Mayor Mayfield said she plans to hire one full-time staff member and retain a current employee part time to ensure continuity of operations. The council adjourned at 7:05 p.m.

What happens next: The recorder appointment took effect at the swearing-in during the March 3 meeting. The record shows the town will proceed with planned administrative staffing interviews and a March 5 meeting on the ongoing water project.