Leo Kelly, Jr. will fill the unexpired term of late Vance County Commissioner Eddie Wright. County Attorney Jonathan Care told WIZS News that Kelly was unanimously voted in by the commissioners. Clerk to the Board Kelly Grissom said, “He will be sworn in on December 7.”
Kelly will fill the seat for approximately one year because the district 5 seat was already due for election in 2016 anyway. At that point, Kelly can choose to run for the seat.
Kelly was voted in by the board at the November 2nd meeting, as we originally reported during the 12:37 P.M. News on WIZS 1450 AM on November 12th.
Early in the process, Archie B. Taylor, Chairman of the Vance County Board of Commissioners, sent a request to the chairman of the local Democratic party asking for the names of individuals good for the position who fulfilled the requirements. Betty Boyd, who is the Third Vice Chair and in charge of publicity, told WIZS News, “We met last Thursday night (Oct 15) at Perry Library. Four candidates made a three minute speech. Leo Kelly received the nomination to serve the unexpired term of the late Eddie Wright.”
Kelly was a longtime Dean at Vance Granville Community College. A news article published by the college in 2009 quotes VGCC’s president at the time, Randy Parker, as saying, “Leo Kelly is the longest-serving full-time employee in the history of our college, and his dedicated leadership has made an enormous difference in the lives of so many people in our communities.”