An interim administrator of elections was named last night during the emergency meeting of the Cannon County Election Commission, but now the search will be on for a deputy administrator. All members of the Election Commission were present. The meeting got off to a heated debate when Chairman Lindbergh Dennis asking for the rest of the commission to reinstate Stan Dobson because he felt that it wasn’t done legally in the first place. The Commission voted 3-2 to terminate him at the regular July meeting and the controversy surrounds the issue of whether or not the item was properly noted in the agenda. There wasn’t an item on the July agenda that dealt with the possible termination. Dennis intended to reinstate Dobson, run a public notice ad about the issue and call another special meeting in which another vote would be taken. Commissioner Matt Studd made the motion and the motion failed with Commissioners Jackie Gannon, Louise Mayo and Sue Patrick voting against the motion. With the termination standing, the Commission went about naming an interim that will handle the August and November Elections. During this process applications will be taken for the permanent Administrator of Elections. Gannon made a motion to appoint former administrator of elections Mary Lynn Bush as interim. Sue Patrick seconded the motion and the motion carried as Commissioner Matt Studd was against the motion. Studd had mentioned Assistant Administrator Dorinda Mankin’s name but it was never made into a motion. Once the vote naming Bush the interim, Mankin said that she felt she wasn’t given an equal opportunity. She then got up from the table, submitted her time sheet and cleaned out her personal stuff from the office, turned in her keys and left. The early voting period for the August 2nd Election begins Friday
