In the wake of longtime District 5 Vance County Commissioner Eddie L. Wright passing away earlier this month on the eighth, the Vance County Board of Commissioners now faces a November ninth deadline.
Vance County Attorney Jonathan Care provided WIZS News with the North Carolina General Statute. N.C. G. S. 153a-27 essentially means the newly appointed board member must be of the same political party, a resident of the same district, that the board shall consult the county executive committee of, in this case, the Democratic Party and, if an appointment is not made within 60 days, then the appointment is to be made by the Clerk of Court. Neither the board nor the clerk is bound by the Democratic Executive Committee’s recommendation.
The 60-day deadline means the commissioners must approve a name to fill Wright’s unexpired term by November ninth.
As a part of the process, Archie B. Taylor, Chairman of the Vance County Board of Commissioners, has sent a request to the chairman of the local Democratic party asking for the names of individuals good for the position who fulfill the requirements.
Care said the commissioners asked for the nominations to be given “by the 16th of October, which gives the commissioners a chance to make a selection at the regular meeting on November 2 or have a special called meeting before that if they feel the need.”
The Democratic Party of Vance County met this past Saturday and elected a new chair, Audry Davis, among other officers. Betty Boyd, who is the Third Vice Chair and in charge of publicity, told WIZS News, “(The) Executive Board will meet in the next week to nominate a replacement to finish Rev. Wright’s term.”
Whoever is appointed will fill the seat for approximately one year because the district 5 seat was already due for election in 2016 anyway. At that point, if the appointee chooses to run for the seat, he or she will either be elected or defeated by a challenger.
Wright was first elected in 2000. He served on the Granville-Vance Public Health District Board and was a minister of a local church.
Soon after Wright’s death, the news was not as much about this process or who the appointee would be, but rather more about Wright himself. At that time, Taylor said Wright’s death had come as a shock to him as it had to many others. While Wright had suffered from joint ailments for years, no one in the public seemed to expect his death.
Taylor said, “The county is going to feel his abscence. He was a man of great faith and spiritual beliefs, an elder of the church, a pastor and preacher, and he was a champion of the little man. He was definately wanting of a better quality of life for everyone in this county. He was a great advocate for those who didn’t have a voice. He is going to be missed.
“His voice of reason and compassion will be missed. He showed his faith by his work. (Wright) had a very supportive family during this illness. They have been extremely supportive of him and that speaks highly of them and their spiritual values.”