New county chairman elected

The Sweetwater County Commissioners elected a new chairman for the group Tuesday morning, opting to give the role to Commissioner Randy Wendling.

Commissioner Wally Johnson was the previous chairman for the group, serving in 2019 and during a majority of the 2010s.

While speaking about the role, Commissioners Roy Lloyd, Jeffery Smith and Lauren Schoenfeld announced they were not interested in the role.

Johnson opened his statements by saying the role traditionally was voted on after an election and lasted for two years.

“It’s supposed to be a two-year tenure,” Johnson said.

He said the county faces the upcoming sixth-penny tax issue, as well as several other projects, listing reasons why she should remain the chairman. Wendling said he was interested in the role, but understood Johnson’s point, saying he would support whomever the group chose.

When the question came to a vote, none of the commissioners immediately made a motion to support either Johnson or Wendling. After a few moments of silence, Smith moved to elect Johnson as the chairman. The motion was met with silence and died for a lack of a second.

Lloyd then made a motion to elect Wendling to the role, which was seconded by Schoenfeld. A rolecall vote yielded a 4-1 result, with Johnson voting against the measure.

Johnson said he respectfully disagreed with the selection, believing it not to be in the county’s best interest.

“Thank you. I appreciate it and I hope I can live up to your expectations as a commissioner,” Wendling said after the vote.

The chairman does not receive any additional pay or benefits beyond what’s already granted to commissioners.

The chairman runs the commissioners’ meetings, sets their agendas, decides which boards commissioners are placed as liaisons on and acts as a spokesperson for the group.