Posted December 9, 2022
On Monday, December 5, the Granville County Board of Commissioners welcomed District 2 Commissioner Rob Williford as its newest member and installed District 5 Commissioner Russ May as Chair and District 6 Commissioner Tim Karan as Vice-Chair. District 7 Commissioner Jimmy Gooch was also sworn in for his first full term and Commissioner Karan took the oath to begin his fourth term as a member of the Board of County Commissioners.
Each December, the board votes to appoint a new Chair and Vice-Chair to serve for one year. Commissioner May served as Vice-Chair from December 2021 through December 2022. He was first elected to the board in 2020. Karan will serve as Vice-Chair for the second time during his twelve-year tenure as County Commissioner, previously holding this title from December 2014 through December 2015. Karan also served as Chair from December 2016 through December 2017. He was first elected in 2010.
Commissioner Gooch was originally appointed in October 2020 to fulfill the unexpired term of Commissioner Edgar Smoak who passed away in September 2020. Karan and Gooch were sworn in by Commissioner Tony Cozart and were joined on stage by their wives Liz and Wendy. Williford was sworn in by NC 9th District Court Judge Katherine Burnette and was joined on stage by his wife Lori.
Williford took the place of David Smith who retired from his nearly fifty-year career in public service. Smith served three terms (twelve years) as a County Commissioner representing District 2 and thirty-seven years in various roles with the Granville County Sheriff’s Office. Throughout his law enforcement career, Smith held the titles of Sheriff, Chief Deputy, Detective, Deputy, and Detention Officer. Smith was recognized for his service to Granville County by Commissioner Cozart who noted that Smith was already a veteran presence in county government by the time Cozart was first elected in 1989.
The Granville County Board of Commissioners typically meet on the first and third Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Granville County Convention and Expo Center (4185 US Highway 15 South, Oxford). For more information, please visit the Granville County website.