A paramedic on the verge of retirement is the latest contender for a vacancy that will appear on Alamance County’s board of commissioners next month when outgoing commissioner Amy Scott Galey takes her place in North Carolina’s state senate.
Paul Williams, a long-time employee of Alamance County’s Emergency Medical Services, has told The Alamance News that he has added his name to the growing list of contenders for Galey’s position, which will ultimately be filled by an appointment from Alamance County’s Republican Party.
Because Galey won her seat on the board as a Republican, state law entitles the party’s local leadership to nominate her successor. The responsibility for making this choice resides with the local GOP’s 45-member executive committee, which is expected to meet some time in January to select a replacement for Galey.
Although Williams has never previously sought public office, the 57-year-old native of Alamance County insists he’d be a good fit for Galey’s position due to his decades of service as a first responder. In addition to his three decades with EMS, Williams has also spent 34 years as a volunteer firefighter in the Ely Whitney fire district. Now, with his career as a paramedic nearing its end, Williams sees a spot on the board of commissioners as a natural way for him to continue his service to the community.
“I’ve never run for anything,” Williams acknowledged. “But I’ve been helping the people of Alamance County for over 34 years, and I want to continue to help the people of Alamance County. My heart is with Alamance County, and when people try to mess with our county, I don’t like it.”
In addition to Williams, at least seven other people have openly declared their intentions to seek the executive committee’s appointment to succeed Galey. Among those who’ve formally submitted their names for consideration are local attorney Craig Turner, who currently serves as the local party’s first vice chairman; Green Level councilman Michael Trollinger; and Henry Vines, a farmer from Snow Camp an a veteran of several commissioner races who defected from the Democratic Party earlier this year.
Other contenders for the impending vacancy are retired brigadier general Blake Williams, who also serves as the vice chairman of ACC’s trustees; Burlington planning board member James Kirkpatrick; long-time Republican Roger Parker, who briefly served on the board of commissioners after the party tapped him for another vacant position in 2016; and Robert Turner, the co-owner of ACE Speedway in Altamahaw.
