Russ May has been named chair of the Granville County Board of Commissioners. Tim Karan was installed as vice-chair and newly elected District 2 commissioner Rob Williford was sworn in as the newest member of the county board during its December meeting on Monday.
May represents District 5 and Karan represents District 6; in addition, District 7 commissioner Jimmy Gooch was sworn in for his first full term on the board.
Each December, the board votes to appoint a new chair and vice-Chair to serve for one year. Cr May, who was first elected in 2020, was named vice-chair last year. This is Karan’s second turn as vice-chair, having held it previously in 2014-15. Karan chaired the board in 2016-17, having been first elected in 2010. This is his fourth term in office.
Gooch was originally appointed in October 2020 to fulfill the unexpired term of Edgar Smoak, who died in September 2020.
Karan and Gooch were sworn in by commissioner Tony Cozart and were joined on stage by their wives Liz and Wendy, respectively. Williford was sworn in by NC 9th District Court Judge Katherine Burnette and was joined on stage by his wife Lori.
Williford won his District 2 seat in November, taking the place of David Smith who retired from his nearly 50-year career in public service. Smith served three terms as a commissioner. He was sheriff in Granville County from 1998 to 2009, but spent close to four decades in various roles in the Granville County sheriff’s office.
The Granville County Board of Commissioners typically meet on the first and third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Granville County Convention and Expo Center, located at 4185 US Highway 15 South, Oxford.
For more information, visit https://www.granvillecounty.org/government/county commissioners/.
