Rudolph Jefferson will serve as chairman of Isle of Wight County’s Board of Supervisors for 2022, per a 3-2 vote at its Jan. 6 reorganizational meeting.

Dick Grice, who had held the role last year, had nominated the board’s 2021 vice chairman, Don Rosie, to succeed him. But Rosie declined the nomination, citing schedule conflicts, and instead nominated Grice to continue in his role for a second year.

Supervisor Joel Acree then nominated Jefferson for the role, prompting two separate votes. Rosie’s motion failed when supervisors William McCarty, Joel Acree and Rudolph Jefferson voted against the nomination. But Acree’s ultimately succeeded, with only Grice and Rosie voting against Jefferson’s nomination.

The vote on a new vice chairman split down the same line. Grice nominated Rosie to continue in the role, but Acree then nominated McCarty — who ultimately won the position after securing Acree’s, Jefferson’s and his own vote in his favor.

Carey Mills Storm and Amber Johnson will continue in their roles as board clerk and deputy clerk, respectively, per the supervisors’ unanimous vote.

The board also unanimously approved changes to its bylaws that morning. Section 2-1b, which had stated that no action is to be taken by the board to approve or deny any item during a work session, has been amended at McCarty’s request to allow action in the event there are time constraints, deadlines or other emergencies that would necessitate a vote prior to the board’s regular monthly meeting. Work sessions are typically held the first Thursday of the month, and regular meetings, on the third Thursday.

The board also changed its procedure for calling a special meeting, specifically the requirement that the board notify the county administrator. The bylaws now require the board to notify the board clerk, in accordance with state law.

Grice will succeed Acree as the county’s representative on the Hampton Roads Workforce Council, and continue in his current appointments to the Eastern Regional Industrial Development Authority and Western Tidewater Water Authority. He will also serve on the Western Tidewater Community Transportation Collaborative alongside Assistant County Administrator Don Robertson, and on the Hampton Roads Alliance, a regional economic development organization.

Acree will remain Isle of Wight’s representative on the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission. Jefferson and McCarty will continue to serve on the Western Tidewater Regional Jail Authority. McCarty will also serve as the county’s representative on the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization and the Hampton Roads Transportation Advisory Committee.

Rosie will continue to serve on the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance.