Commissioners appoint new member to college board despite concerns about diversity
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on July 20, 2017 4:35 PM
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News-Argus/STEVE HERRING
Wayne County commissioners should ensure that their appointments to local boards reflect the county's diverse population, Commissioner Ed Cromartie said.
Cromartie raised the issue Tuesday morning after appointments committee Chairman Joe Gurley made a motion to appoint Joe Democko to the Wayne Community College board of trustees instead of reappointing Veda McNair, an African-American.
Cromartie offered an amendment to reappoint Veda McNair.
He noted that she has served three terms and most recently as chairman. Ms. McNair also serves on a state board related to the community college environment.
"As I understand it, a letter came to the county office around May 23 requesting that Ms. Veda McNair be retained in that position as chairman of the Wayne Community College trustee board," he said. "If information serves me correctly, it was signed off by the vice chair."
Cromartie said some of his minority constituency had called him and said it was becoming obvious to them that the county was losing broad representation on its boards.
"If information serves me correctly, Ms. Veda McNair and another minority gentlemen were the last of two African-Americans serving on the Wayne Community College board," he said. "And as of this change, there will not be an African-American serving on the board."
Cromartie said he also understands that Ms. McNair might have been one of two females leaving that board, without a minority or at least African-American representation.
"I would only want to bring it to this board's attention that there are other committee appointments that are coming up throughout the county that I would ask for careful consideration for future appointments, so that the citizens of Wayne County will be able to look at boards and see a cross-section that is representative of the population in Wayne County," he said.
Commissioner Wayne Aycock, who serves on the community college board, said he would like to correct one of Cromartie's statements.
There are five women on the trustee board, he said.
Cromartie asked if any of them were a minority. They are not, Aycock said.
Cromartie also asked Aycock if he had been party to the letter asking that Ms. McNair be reappointed.
Aycock said he was not.
"If it came from the vice chairperson, would he not have gotten some direction from the board?" Cromartie said.
"You'd have to ask him sir," Aycock said.
Cromartie said that, to his way of thinking, if the commission chairman or vice chairman wrote a letter reflecting the board's position, commissioners should have had an opportunity to have some input into it.
He said he had asked Aycock the question because he didn't know if boards around the county acted differently.
Commissioner Ray Mayo then offered an amendment to Cromartie's amended motion.
Mayo's amendment was to refer the appointment back to the appointments committee for further study and to bring back a recommendation in two weeks.
Cromartie said he appreciated Mayo's action because it also would give commissioners time to be sure future appointments would be reflective of the entire community.
He then withdrew his amendment to Gurley's motion.
Mayo, Cromartie and Commissioner John Bell voted for Mayo's amended motion. Aycock, Gurley and Commissioners Bill Pate and Joe Daughtery voted no.
Pate, Gurley, Aycock, Daughtery and Mayo voted for Gurley's original motion and Democko was appointed. Bell and Cromartie voted no.