The Patrick County Board of Supervisors selected Jonathan Wood, of the Peters Creek District, as vice chairman at its meeting Monday. The decision was made after a majority of the board approved a motion to not approve the August 12 and August 19 meeting minutes because the board’s chairman and vice-chairman were listed in the meeting minutes.
Beginning in July, Doug Perry was listed as chairman and Steve Marshall was listed as vice chairman, according to Clayton Kendrick, of the Mayo River District. But “I don’t remember voting or picking the chairman and vice-chairman.”
Perry, who was vice-chairman, began serving as the board’s interim chairman when then-chairman Brandon Simmons’ resigned in April, said he thought the board discussed the issue. But its order of succession is confusing.
The way Perry said he remembered it, “it would be Peters Creek (District) that would be next in line in our order of succession for chair, but after Mr. Simmons stepped down, I would move into the chair and Mr. Marshall would take vice-chair.
“I thought that was our agreement, and come January,” when the officers change, the board could vote then to return to its traditional order of succession, Perry said.
“Whoever is next in line to be chairman serves as the vice-chairman,” Kendrick said, adding that while the order is confusing, the vice-chairman post should have been filled by the Peters Creek representative – in this case, Wood.
“I guess everything got thrown out of kilter” when Simmons left, possibly before, Kendrick said.
“It’s our discretion who we vote in,” Perry said, noting that the board doesn’t necessarily have to follow its standard order of succession. “I was remembering my first year that was Blue Ridge (as chairman), my second year was Mayo (River), then the third year was Dan River, and then it kicked over into me – which is Smith River. So that would naturally leave Peters Creek as next in line of succession,” he added.
Perry noted that only three meetings are scheduled for the remainder of the year. He added that the board could leave the officers listed in place through the end of the year, and return to the regular order of succession in January.
“Then in January, the chairs change. Then we can get back in that line of succession if we care to,” Perry said.
Kendrick maintained the board only discussed and did not vote on the officers. As a result, he said he would not vote to approve the minutes for the rest of the year.
Perry then called for a motion to approve the meeting minutes.
Marshall made the motion, but it died for lack of a second.
Perry then called for a motion to not approve the meeting minutes, which was made by Wood and seconded by Kendrick, and approved in a 3-1-1 vote, with Jane Fulk, of the Dan River District, also voting in favor of the motion.
Perry voted no, and Steve Marshall, of the Blue Ridge District, abstained.
Since the meeting minutes were not approved, County Administrator Beth Simms said they would be considered draft minutes.
“If that’s the pleasure of the board for the remaining meetings, then they’ll just live as draft minutes unless some action wants to be taken to remedy the situation,” she said.
Following its closed session meeting, the board decided to follow the succession order, with Wood to serve as vice-chairman for the rest of 2024, and become chairman in 2025.
