Update: School board deadlocked on replacement

By: Steve Welker | Morganton News Herald
Published: June 11, 2009

Morganton, NC --

When the Burke County school board started its early-morning meeting today, its first item of business was selecting a replacement for David Barnard, who resigned May 2.
It came as no surprise when Tim Buff nominated and Karen Sain seconded John Aulgur. Even before the board invited applications from interested citizens in the Western District, many people believed the Nebo marina operator and former Burke County Republican Party chairman was most likely to get a majority of the board's votes.
The surprise came moments later when Sam Wilkinson nominated and Buddy Armour seconded Nellie Yancey, a long-time school bus driver and retired Oak Hill Elementary School teacher.
Without discussion, the school board voted and promptly deadlocked, 3-3. Neither candidate had the necessary majority.
Tracy Norman voted for Aulgur.
Rob Hairfield voted for Yancey.
What most people did not realize, until the story began to emerge later today, is that nominating Yancey was Hairfield's idea.
"My intent was to try to calm things down," he said. "If you put someone in there that's going to be a lightning rod, that's going to throw gasoline on this fire, it would keep stirring up controversy between now and November.
"Mrs. Yancey hadn't stated a preference as to what she wanted to do about the superintendent's job. She seemed to be an apolitical, neutral individual; she could vote either way. I thought it would help, hopefully, calm down some of the dissension that's been going on for the last two months. That was my logic behind suggesting that we put her on."
Hairfield first discussed the idea with Norman and Buff.
On Wednesday he called Wilkinson to ask if he and Armour could support the choice of Yancey. They agreed.
With neither Yancey nor Aulgur having four members' support, the seat remains vacant.
Wilkinson and Armour predict it will remain empty until voters fill the seat in the November election.
Buff, Hairfield and Norman aren't so certain, but agree it's unlikely the board will fill the seat unless some circumstances or unspecified conditions change.
Continuing the current situation concerns Buff, who said he fears the board will be unable to take some needed action because motions will fail on 3-3 ties.
On Monday night the board almost could not begin its meeting because members deadlocked 3-3 on repeated motions to approve the agenda. The dispute that night concerned whether to go ahead with selection of the replacement board member. During a short recess, a couple of the board members negotiated an agreement so they could proceed.
The school district's attorney, Jon Jones, predicts people will see a lot more negotiation on the school board.
The matter of a replacement member isn't a dead issue. It could be brought back at any time. A state statute says the board shall (meaning "must") fill the vacant seat by majority vote, but the law doesn't set a deadline for action.
Candidates for the four school board seats the voters will fill in November can begin filing their nomination papers July 6.

Update: School board deadlocked on replacement

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