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For the second straight year, the Buckingham supervisors suspended the by-laws, when it comes to choosing a chairman and vice chair. Back in 2016, the board changed the by-laws so that chairman and vice chair are chosen based on a rotation, rather than an election. This year would have been Danny Davis’s turn as chairman. However, he told the other supervisors during their Monday, Jan. 13 meeting that he couldn’t do it. 

“I would like to thank my fellow board members for having the confidence in me to be the next chairman, but unfortunately I feel that I will not be able to be as effective as I would like to be in my current work schedule,” Davis said. “My job has me on call all over the state at any time, day or night. The board deserves a chairman that can focus on Buckingham County issues. I just don’t see how I can effectively do that, to the level I need to as chairman.” 

Davis said he would remain on the board as a supervisor for District 1, but proposed Joe Chambers take his place as chairman for this year. Chambers served as chairman during 2024. 

Davis would, in his words, “go to the back of the line” when it comes to serving as chairman. 

Other board members pointed out that there was already a clause in the by-laws to deal with a situation like this. In Buckingham’s by-laws, if a person doesn’t want to serve as chairman, then it simply passes to the next person in line. In this case, that would be Danny Allen, who had been scheduled to serve as vice chair this year and then take the chairman’s seat in 2026. 

“That’s what we voted on last year,” supervisor Paul Garrett pointed out. 

‘We’ve done it before’ 

Davis pointed out the board suspended the by-laws last year, so that newly elected Buckingham supervisors weren’t forced immediately into leadership roles like chair and vice chair. He didn’t see why they couldn’t suspend the rules again, with Danny Allen moving into the vice chair position as scheduled and Joe Chambers serving a second straight term as chair. 

“I’m not asking anybody to be punished,” Davis said. “I’m just stepping back to the back of the line.” 

Supervisor Michael Palmore questioned why, as Garrett brought up, the board couldn’t just stick with the rules established last year, where if one person declines to serve, it’s then time for the next person in the rotation. 

“I thought last year when we did this, it was to make it fair for everybody, so that everybody had a chance to serve, either as vice chair or chairman,” Palmore said. “In all fairness to the rest of the board members, I think we need to stick to the rotation.”

Palmore said he had nothing against Chambers. He just believed that to be fair, since there’s a policy for handling this in the by-laws, one voted on and approved by the supervisors, then they need to follow it. He also pointed out that the vice chair, under the changes made last year, serves as the board’s representative to the planning commission. As Danny Allen had represented the board on the planning commission for several years, Palmore argued other members deserved a chance to fill that role.  

“Nothing against you, Danny, but one person staying on it all the time, is that fair and equal representation or am I looking at it wrong?” Palmore asked. 

Garrett reminded everyone that the policy he read, the one that outlines how to deal with a situation like this, is what everyone on the board unanimously agreed to last year. 

“I was a school teacher for years and you made rules and kids had to follow the rules,” Garrett said. “We made the rules to govern this county and are we gonna follow ‘em or are we gonna change ‘em? It doesn’t matter. You can change a rule. But I just stated what was in here.”

Harry Bryant agreed, saying that the rotation system has worked, preventing arguments over who was nominated and who was voted for.  Cameron Gilliam said he just didn’t want any conflict on the board and volunteered to switch places in the rotation with any member if that would help. He is currently scheduled to be vice chair in 2026. Chambers, meanwhile, said he didn’t have a preference. 

“I’ll go along with the majority. If you want me to serve, I’ll serve,” Chambers said. “If you don’t, I won’t.” 

Buckingham supervisors take it to a vote

The decision went to a vote, coming out 4-3 in favor of Chambers remaining as chairman and Danny Allen coming on as vice chair. Palmore, Garrett and Bryant were the three who voted against suspending the by-laws.