Woody Allen’s adage that 90 percent of success in life is just showing up took on new meaning this week when the county’s commissioners removed a county a planning board member from her seat on the advisory board because of her chronic absenteeism during that board’s monthly meetings.
The county’s board of commissioners ultimately ejected Danielle Walker from the planning board’s lineup on Monday – barely one month after her colleagues on this appointed advisory body had endorsed her removal on October 14.
Tonya Caddle, the county’s planning director, informed the commissioners Walker had been a no-show at all of the planning board’s meetings since March when Caddle presented them with the planning board’s recommendation on Monday. Caddle added that Walker’s unbroken succession of absences was more than sufficient to cost her the seat that she held on the planning board.
“Part of the planning board’s bylaws,” she added, “is that if more than two consecutive meetings are missed, they can make a recommendation for [a member’s] removal.”
The commissioners heard some added evidence for her spotty attendance record from John Paisley, Jr., the chairman of Alamance County’s commissioners, who also represents the commissioners as a ex officio member of the planning board.
“I’ve been on that board since January,” Paisley recalled before Monday’s unanimous vote, “and I don’t think I’ve seen the lady at a single meeting.”
After they voted 5-to-0 to strip Walker of her post, the commissioners proceeded to appoint three new members to fill this seat and two other openings on the planning board. The commissioners unanimously assigned these three seats to Anthony Pierce, Stephen Dodson, and Ernest Bare. They also accepted the reappointments of two veteran planning board members – Vaughn Willoughby and Bill Poe.
PLANNING BOARD APPOINTMENT, REAPPOINTMENTS:
