Odom voted off ABC board
By Steve Herring
Published in News on January 27, 2013 1:50 AM
Wayne County commissioners cast a split vote Tuesday on a motion to make an appointment to the county Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, with the Republican members of the board voting not to re-appoint a sitting member of board who had been recommended for re-appointment by the manager of the ABC Board.
During the meeting, Appointments Committee Chairman Ray Mayo made a motion to appoint Ervin Watts, a former Republican candidate for commissioner, to the ABC Board.
Watts was the choice of the two Republican members of the commissioners' Appointments Committee, with Mayo and Bill Pate recommending him. Democrat John Bell said he preferred to re-appoint Glenn Odom, a Democrat who is a retired officer with the Sheriff's Office.
After a motion was made to appoint Watts, Bell asked County Attorney Borden Parker if he had a right to put a motion on the floor. Parker told Bell that he could amend Mayo's motion.
"OK," Bell said. "We have a letter from the manager of the ABC Board asking commissioners to re-appoint Mr. Glenn Odom, who is from the southern end of the county. We try to keep people on boards from all parts of the county. Now, Mr. Odom has done an outstanding job on the ABC Board and is recommended highly by his manager.
"Not only that, he is one of the people who provides security and helps the ABC Board maintain a certain amount of security over there. I do not see why we need to replace him. All of that experience we will lose."
Bell then offered up a motion to re-appoint Odom.
The amended motion failed 5-2 along party lines. The original motion was then approved 5-2 with Bell and Democrat Ed Cromartie voting no.
In a letter to the board of commissioners, Mike Myrick, general manager of the ABC Board, had recommended Odom's re-appointment.
"Glenn has been a very active board member during the past three years," Myrick wrote. "His extensive background in alcohol law enforcement has been a great asset to the Wayne County ABC Board. In 2012 his leadership and management skills were instrumental in Wayne County receiving the largest ABC cash distribution since the creation of the ABC system in 1961.
"Glenn's three years of service on the ABC Board have qualified him to make difficult decisions needed to direct the activities of a successful ABC system in Wayne County. Please consider re-apppointing Glen Odom as a board member to the Wayne County ABC Board."
Mayo did not return phone calls asking who had recommended Watts for the position, or why he and Pate chose not to follow Myrick's request.