Cumberland County commissioners voted Monday night to leave two seats vacant in county government until Sept. 1 in order to allow voters to decide on who fills the spots rather than appoint people to the vacancies.
Nancy Hyder, 2nd District county commissioner; and Anita Hale, 4th District Board of Education member, who both recently passed away, were honored for their many years of service to the county. Both of their seats were declared vacant.
The two Cumberland County longtime educators and county government board members were honored Monday night with a moment of silence at the beginning of the Cumberland County Commission meeting.
A vase of flowers sat at Hyder’s spot with an updated name badge that read, “In memory of Nancy Hyder.”
Hyder was the first female county commissioner elected and served for nearly 36 years. She also had a 30 year plus career in the Cumberland County school system.
Cumberland County Clerk Jule Bryson notified the commission of a 2nd District county commission seat effective April 20. The seat was declared vacant after 2nd District county commissioner Hyder passed away.
The county commission was presented with two options based on guidance from Cumberland County Attorney Philip Burnett.
The options were to leave the seat vacant until it is filled by voters in the August election, or begin the process to appoint a temporary replacement to serve until that time.
In a vote of 16-0, the county commission voted to leave the seat vacant until the county general election. Since Commissioner Hyder was on the ballot, state law requires it to be a write-in ballot for election, Cumberland County Mayor Allen Foster said.
Candidates who wish to pursue the seat must live in the 2nd District and can pick up papers to run as a write-in candidate from the Cumberland County Election Commission. Papers need to be turned in by June 17 to appear on the county general election ballot Aug. 6.
John Patterson, 9th District, motioned to leave the seat vacant and to allow the voters to choose the candidate to fill the seat in the August county general election. Deborah Holbrook, 8th District, supported the motion and it was unanimously approved.
The county commission was also notified of a vacancy on the 4th Civil District Board of Education seat. Originally the vacancy was to be effective May 1, 2026, following the resignation of Anita Hale. However, the county commission learned that Hale had passed away on Monday.
Hale was a Cumberland County elementary school teacher for decades and after retirement began serving on the Board of Education in 2020.
County commissioners were presented with the same two options for Hale’s seat based on guidance from Burnett — leave the seat vacant until it is filled by voters in the August election, or begin the process to appoint a temporary replacement to serve until that time.
In a vote of 16-0, the commissioners voted to leave the seat vacant until the county general election. There was no election scheduled for this seat until 2028, so nobody was on the ballot for the seat. Foster said state law requires the seat to be filled differently.
He said the Cumberland County Election Commission will issue independent petitions for this seat beginning Tuesday, April 21 and both the Republican and Democratic parties may caucus for a candidate if they choose. Candidates for the 4th District BOE seat must live in the 4th Civil District.
Joe Sherrill, 6th District, motioned to leave the seat vacant for voters to decide on a candidate in the August county general election. Colleen Mall, 9th District, supported the motion and it was unanimously approved.
For more detailed information regarding write-in candidacy for the vacancies in the August county general election, contact the Cumberland County Election Commission at 931-484-4919.
Wendell Wilson, 6th District, did not attend the meeting.