COLUMBUS COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) – The winners of the commissioner’s elections in Columbus County took the oath of office and officially took their seats on the board. Commissioner Ricky Bullard was reelected in November, while Scott Floyd and Barbara Featherson are each new members of the board.
Absent from the swearing-in ceremony Monday was Sheriff-elect Jody Greene. The county board of elections has not issued a certificate of election to Greene while the State Board of Elections hears two appeals to protests filed by residents that were denied by the county board last week.
Greene was heard on a recorded phone call making racist comments about his black employees and calling for them to be fired. He resigned from his first term as Sheriff on Oct. 24 at the start of a hearing on a petition for his removal. In the petition, Greene is accused of corruption and misconduct while in office.
Only Commissioner Lavern Coleman, the newly-elected vice-chairman of the board, would comment about Greene on Monday night. Coleman tells WECT he supports Greene and hopes he will eventually be sworn in again.
“That’s an ongoing issue and I don’t even I don’t think that I should comment on that,” Featherson said.
Featherson is the first black woman to be elected as a Columbus County commissioner.
When asked if she has concerns about the way the Sheriff’s office is run, Featherson said, “I can’t say that I do or I don’t because I haven’t been involved with it.”
After taking the oath of office, Featherson said her focus is on improving community health and housing.
“One of the larger issues facing our county right now is, I think, poor housing or inadequate housing and not enough houses,” she said.
Bullard was reelected by the board to serve another term as chairman.
Sheriff Bill Rogers, appointed by the board in October after Greene was suspended, will remain in the role until Greene or another qualified person is officially seated.
Rogers recently promoted former commissioner Jerome McMillian to Chief Deputy, while demoting former chief Aaron Herring to a courthouse role.
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