Craven commissioners elect Morris chairman

Commissioner Perry Morris added chairman to his title for second time in his tenure on the Craven County Board of Commissioners with his election to the post Monday night.

Commissioner Johnnie Sampson, who has served District 3 representing downtown New Bern and has previously served as chairman, got the nod as vice chairman.

“We have two good men running the county,” said Commissioner Theron McCabe, who stepped down as vice chairman and passed the gavel to Morris.

“I appreciate the confidence you have shown in me with your vote,” said Morris. Morris is from Vanceboro and the commissioner elected from Craven District 2.

“I look forward to everybody’s support and need everybody’s help,” he said. “We need to be as conservative as we can in our spending to manage this year.”

Morris owns and operates an aquaculture operation that raises catfish and is from a long-time Vanceboro political family.

His father, Jimmie Morris, is a member of the Craven County Committee of 100, was a longtime member and served as chairman of CarolinaEast Medical Center, and served more than three decades as Vanceboro mayor.

He and his wife, Gwendolyn, a teacher at Farm Life Elementary School, have three children.

Morris has been an active volunteer and leader of the Vanceboro Volunteer Fire Department and served on county volunteer boards, including the recreation board, before seeking elected office. He first thought of running for the school board but settled on the board of commissioners and is in his second term.

Exiting two-term Chairman Jason Jones, a farmer and the grandson of former Craven commissioner and school board member Sidney French, was unable to attend the board’s reorganization meeting because of his duties as president of Craven County Farm Bureau. He was committed as a delegate to the organization’s state convention.

Jones said prior to the meeting that we wished the new leadership well and would work with them in the coming year.

“I tried to chair the county board with a nonpartisan ear to all citizen opinions,” Jones said. “I am honored and humbled by the confidence placed in me.”

Jones, a Democrat, contacted commissioners one-on-one and sent a formal letter explaining his absence. The six-member board has equal representation of Democrats and Republicans.

The board’s agenda outlined the form for proceeding with the meeting should a tie prevent a new chairman from being elected.

Commissioner Lee K. Allen, a long-serving Republican, said he thought, particularly since a tie would just bring the board back to square one at its next meeting, “the best thing is to show unity and have one nominee and have that person elected by acclamation.”

“Jason Jones has been a superb chairman,” Allen said. “This is a pretty good board but it will be a challenging year for Perry. We need the diversity of opinion and experience to fulfill the monumental tasks we have on issues, particularly financial ones. Everyone up and down is trying to hold the line.”

Sue Book can be reached at 252-635-5666 or sbook@freedomenc.com.