While the process for finding the next Sampson County Board of Elections director has not been firmly established, the local five-person board has solicited help from high up to guide them.
The five-member Sampson County Board of Elections convened Thursday in Elections Office board room to appoint election officials for the upcoming term. Administrative elections assistant Emily Steffens sat in on the process, helping as the board went through each precinct that needed a judge, utilizing lists of candidates provided by both local parties.
In attendance were Republican Party chair Telia Kivett, Democratic Party chair Willie R. Moore and several others. Also present at the meeting were State Board of Elections executive director Karen Bell and Sampson County’s Human Resources director Nancy Dillman.
Sampson County Board of Elections chairman Horace Bass, on the board since 2011, said it was the first time he can recall a state executive director coming to a county meeting.
Following an hour-long selection process for election officials — there was a similar session earlier this month — the board voted to enter closed session, presumably to discuss the void in the director’s position. After approximately 45 minutes behind closed doors, no action was ultimately taken.
Ashley Tew resigned as the county’s Board of Elections director on Aug. 21, leaving the post after five and a half years.
And while the advertising and selection process for finding the next elections director has not yet been established, the county has now engaged state election leaders, bringing Bell into the fold on personnel talks. In open session, Board of Elections members alluded to the possibility of utilizing previous staff or someone with elections experience to get them through November’s municipal election, however whether that would supplement the work of a new director at that point remains to be seen. A defined job description would precede any hiring, they said.
Tew’s resignation came than a week after Bass called a meeting of the Sampson Board of Elections on Aug. 15. The board convened in the Elections Office board room that morning, approving minutes from a previous meeting before going into closed session to discuss personnel.
Board members held that closed session in another building — the county administration building across the parking lot — for about an hour before returning to the Elections Office and taking no action.
For the second time in two weeks on Thursday, the board again went into closed session to discuss personnel, this time staying put with Dillman and Bell sitting in on the session.
Tew officially resigned last week in a letter to Bass and Bell.
“I appreciate the support from both the Sampson County Board of Elections and the North Carolina State Board of Elections during my 5.5 years as director. It has been a pleasure to work for Sampson County and along side all of the N.C. election directors. But at this time, I feel as though this is not the best environment for myself and my family. It is with great respect but also sadness that I submit this letter.”
The Sampson Board of Elections was slated to meet again at 10 a.m. Sept. 5.
Early voting for Sampson’s municipal election begins in less than two months leading up to Nov. 5’s Election Day.
