JCC Board Has Leadership, One by Default

By Desiree Parker Wednesday, January 04, 2012

The James City County Board of Supervisors attempted to choose their leadership at an organizational meeting Tuesday. After some disagreement, the board couldn't agree on the chair, but did agree on a vice chair.

Mary Jones will continue as chair after a 2-2 vote, which means that while the motion for her to serve as 2012 chair failed she will continue in the role by default. John McGlennon will serve as vice chair.

After Supervisor Jim Kennedy moved to make Mary Jones the chair again, Supervisor Jim Icenhour offered to support the idea if she would agree to make John McGlennon vice chair and switch positions with him in six months.

This would show the public “we can deal with each other and compromise,” Icenhour said.

McGlennon agreed, saying it would “demonstrate we are working together” to deal with the unusual situation the board finds itself in, being split evenly down party lines with one vacancy.

In a later discussion Tuesday, though, McGlennon noted that the board had worked well together on several issues in 2011 “despite efforts to appear dysfunctional.”

The two Republicans voted against Icenhour’s suggestion, splitting the board evenly and causing the motion to fail.

The two Democrats voted against the motion to choose Jones as chair, which means she will serve in the role for the time being. The board can take up the issue again if it chooses to once a fifth board member is seated.

Jones moved that Kennedy be vice chair, but after McGlennon argued that Republicans shouldn't hold both positions on a split board Kennedy said he would support McGlennon as vice chair without the six-month switch after which the Board unanimously agreed.