ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond County Board of Commissioners has a slight change in leadership for the upcoming year.
Dr. Rick Watkins was elected by a majority of the board to serve as vice chairman during the monthly meeting on Dec. 5.
The board elects the chairman and vice chair at each December meeting.
When County Manager Bryan Land opened the floor for nominations for chairman, Commissioner Andy Grooms was named by Toni Maples, and Smart was selected by Watkins.
Smart was elected with a show of hands by the majority — including himself Watkins, and Commissioners Robin Roberts and Jason Gainey.
Control of the meeting was turned back to Smart for the next vote.
Maples, in turn, was nominated as vice chair by Commissioner Justin Dawkins and Watkins was picked by Gainey, with Watkins picking up the win.
The voting bloc was the same for both elections.
Smart has been chairman since being elected to the board in 2020. Watkins was elected to the board in 2018 and reelected in 2022. This is his first time with a leadership position. Dawkins has served as vice chairman since December 2020.
The commissioners also unanimously voted to reappoint Dena Cook as board clerk and Michael Newman as county attorney.
Smart thanked Cook and Newman for their service, telling the clerk, “I know we’re not easy to put up with.”
At the end of the meeting, Smart addressed the public in the audience and those who may watch the meeting later.
“This is a challenging job, being a commissioner,” Smart said. “It’s tough to know which decision’s best for the majority of folks. But we’ve chosen to be here and you’ve given us the approval to be here.
“We appreciate your support. We will continue to work as hard as we can in the group of seven and just do the right thing for Richmond County…that’s what it’s all about, especially this time of year.”
The RO will have more from the meeting in the coming days.
