The now former Chair Commissioner Kerry Smith began discussion of the positions by thanking all of his fellow commissioners for their support during his time as chair.
“It’s been a great honor and a pleasure to serve in this position,” Smith said. “(The commissioners) have been nothing but supportive, and all four of you have helped me.”
Smith then proceeded to say he wished to continue with what the board normally did in regard to chair and vice chair. Formerly, the board followed a cycle based on districts. For example, if a commissioner from District 1 was chair, then the vice chair would be the commissioner from District 2. The next year, the District 2 commissioner would be chair, and the District 3 commissioner would be vice chair. The board adjusted the cycle last year, leading to Smith being chair and Wright being vice chair. If the traditional cycle applied here, it would be Commissioner Rhett Rowell’s turn to be chair, without having been vice chair previously.
Rowell was nominated for the position, but he declined.
“As the District 3 commissioner, I’m okay with a rotation, but I’ve not even been vice chair,” Rowell said. “I greatly appreciate the confidence…I’m greatly humbled by the confidence, but I do think it’s important to be a vice chair before a chair…I sure would like to be vice chair before I’m chair.”
“The way I’m going to see it, if Commissioner Rowell’s not comfortable being the chair at this time, we could make another nomination,” Smith said. “I’m going to leave nominations open.”
For the next 14 seconds, according to the county’s stream, the commissioners looked back and forth at one another, waiting for one of them to submit a nomination as silence hung over the boardroom.
Finally, Rowell made a motion to nominate Wright as Chair.
“I just think it’s important for the board and as a body to have the vice chair serve before they’re chairman,” Rowell reinforced, explaining why he was making his nomination to move Wright from vice chair to chair. “I feel strongly about that.”
Smith asked if anybody was willing to second the motion to nominate Wright, but after a few moments of silence, seconded the motion himself. Wright was confirmed by a unanimous vote to be the board’s new chair. Smith then nominated Eddington for vice chair (Eddington had refused chair because he was planning to run for reelection, but stated he was fine with vice chair) and Eddington was confirmed as vice chair via another unanimous vote.
