ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond County Board of Commissioners during an emergency meeting on Wednesday approved Justin Dawkins’ appointment to fill the seat recently vacated by Ben Moss.
Dawkins, director of operations for von Drehle’s Cordova plant, was recommended by the executive committee of the Richmond County Republican Party on Tuesday, following Moss’ official resignation the day before.
According to state statute, the individual filling the vacancy must be a member of the same political party as the individual who previously held the seat, however, the board is not bound by the party’s recommendation.
The board also accepted Moss’ resignation.
Both votes were unanimous, however Commissioner Don Bryant was not in attendance in the tele-meeting.
Moss resigned on Monday after being elected to the District 66 seat in the N.C. House of Representatives. He served as a commissioner for a decade, becoming the first Republican elected to the board in more than a century.
Now, there will be four.
Jeff Smart, Toni Maples and Andy Grooms were elected earlier this month.
Chairman Kenneth Robinette and Commissioner John Garner decided not to run again this year. Commissioner Jimmy Capps ran but was not was not re-elected.
Robinette thanked both Capps and Moss for their years of service to the board and congratulated Moss on moving to “the next step.”
