Rogers named commission’s new chairman
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“I think the commission will be a more cohesive unit with the county executive in the chair,” Brock said of her decision to step down, noting that the extra time required was also a factor. “I have a full-time plus job as well, so that was getting stressful too.”
Still, Brock indicated she valued her tenure as leader of the commission and appreciated the support she received from fellow commissioners.
“I enjoyed my time as chairman,” she said. “It was a real learning experience for me. I got a chance to attend a lot of committee meetings that I wouldn’t have otherwise, and I learned a lot from that.”
Commissioners voted unanimously to appoint Rogers to the job Monday after he was nominated by Commissioner Carl Bouldin.
“I have mixed emotions on this,” Rogers said. “But different ones felt like it was my duty, I guess, to serve as chair. I liked the fact that I had veto privileges, which now, serving as chair, I won’t have. But different people have asked me to take it, and suggested I should take it, so we thought we’d try it.”
Rogers said the decision will represent quite a change for him.
“Even though we’ve been in office for a little over a year now, that’ll be a new experience for me,” he said. “It’ll be a challenge I think, but I’m looking forward to serving as chair.”
Rogers has been studying “Roberts Rules of Order” and plans to keep meetings running smoothly by enforcing those rules when necessary.
“I am going to request, and this is in the rules that the commission adopted, that people addressing the chair, they do stand. I think this is something that will cut down on confusion on the floor. This was something they voted on last year and adopted, that you had to be recognized from the chair.”
Rogers has some other rules in mind he believes should reduce extended debates at meetings.
“If you speak on a subject, you’re not allowed to speak again until everybody has had the opportunity to speak, and I think that will cut down on it.”
He also plans to curtail personal disputes and comments when necessary.
“And we’re not going to try to slur or belittle another commissioner out there. You’ll be called out of order at that time and returned to your seat,” he said. “I just don’t feel like we’re there to do that. We’re there to take care of the business of the county, and our personal feelings, we need to leave them on the outside of the door. When you walk in the chambers, that is a court and it needs to be conducted as one.
“And there’ll probably be some people not agree, maybe some hard feelings, but we need to get where we come in there and we conduct business, we vote, and we go to the house.”