Three Cumberland County Commissioners took the oath of office Dec. 7 during a special Board of Commissioners meeting.
Commissioners Michael Boose and Jimmy Keefe were sworn in after being re-elected, and Toni Stewart took the oath of office for the first time. Boose, Keefe and Stewart represent District 2.
The new board then elected Charles Evans to serve as chairman for the year. Glenn Adams was re-elected as the board’s vice chairman.
Boose is a Fayetteville attorney who was first elected to the Board of Commissioners in 2016 and served on the Board of Education for 18 years, where he was elected the board chair for four terms. Boose has practiced law for more than 35 years.
Keefe is a business owner and military veteran who was first elected to the Board of Commissioners in 2008. He served as chairman in 2013 after serving as vice chairman in 2012. Keefe was also elected to two terms on the Fayetteville City Council from 2001-2005.
Stewart, who earned her doctorate in Biblical Counseling from Family Bible College of Fayetteville, serves as the Special Project Manager at True Vine Ministries. She formerly served as the Executive Director of the Hope Center women’s shelter.
Evans was elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2014 and 2018 as an at-large representative. He was the board’s vice chair in 2017 and served two terms on the Fayetteville City Council from 2005-2009. He is a disabled veteran and executive director of Life is Worth Living-Project Fresh Start.
Adams is an attorney elected from District 1 in 2014. This will be his third term as the vice chairman. He was the chairman in 2017. He is an attorney and serves as the Chairman of Action Pathways Incorporated and the Cumberland County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council.
During his remarks, Evans outlined his priorities for the year. He said he wants to establish a plan to identify and assist the homeless in our community “with a one-stop center designed to help members of our homeless community locate and access resources throughout Cumberland County.”
Other priorities include:
•supporting clean and healthy water in the Gray’s Creek area, as well as throughout Cumberland County
•encouraging the development and construction of a Performing Arts Center
•completing a new 911 and Emergency Operations Center and a state-of-the-art Fire and Rescue training center in partnership with Fayetteville Technical Community College
•enhancing communication and transparency by re-establishing the facilities, finance and policy committees and live streaming those meetings
•working with the nine municipalities and the legislative delegation “to ensure our collective voices are heard and that they impact the decisions that impact our lives.”
During the meeting, Adams presented outgoing Commissioner Marshall Faircloth with a plaque and thanked him for his years of service as a commissioner. Faircloth thanked the commissioners and county staff for their work in serving our citizens.
Commissioners Jeannette Council and Larry Lancaster complete the seven-member board.
The board is scheduled to hold its next regular meeting Dec. 21 at 6:45 p.m.
Pictured above: Charles Evans, Chairman of the Cumberland County Commission.
Pictured below left to right, Row 1: Glenn Adams, Michael C. Boose. Row 2: Jeanette M. Council, Jimmy Keefe. Row 3: Larry L. Lancaster, Dr. Toni Stewart.
