Commissioners keep Smith, Knecht in leader positions

Nancy McCleary, The Sanford Herald, N.C.
·1 min read

Dec. 5—The leadership of the Lee County Board of Commissioners won't be changing for at least the next year.

At their Monday meeting, the commissioners voted, by written ballot, to keep Kirk Smith as chair and Dr. Andre Knecht as vice chair.

The meeting was held at noon to avoid a conflict with the Sanford Christmas Parade held Monday night.

Smith received five votes while two were cast for Commissioner Cameron Sharpe. Knecht was selected unanimously.

Smith, a Republican, has chaired the board since 2020 when presiding chair Amy Dalrymple was defeated in a re-election bid.

This will be Knechts's second year as the vice chair.

In other actions, the commissioners voted to approve a request to complete the third and final phase of the Willowbrook Farms subdivision. The late Donald Simpson developed the first phase which platted in 1988, according to agenda notes.

The subdivision is near the Berke Thomas and Longstreet roads near Broadway. The final phase calls for the development of 33 single-family homes on the neighborhood's interior streets which are Willowbrook, Ridgewood and Greenfield drives.