Who will fill Elton Dean's seat on Montgomery County Commission? Gov. Kay Ivey has final say

It’s up to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey to decide who will replace Montgomery County Commission Chairman Elton Dean’s seat as District 2 commissioner. Dean, who served on the commission for 22 years, died early Tuesday morning.

Ivey’s office will set the timeline for an appointment to the vacant role on the commission, according to Cynthia Milledge, manager of public affairs for the City of Montgomery. Gina Maiola, Ivey's communications director, said that the process for finding Dean's replacement will not begin until after his funeral is held.

"Out of respect for his family and loved ones in their time of loss, we do not plan to begin moving on an appointment search until after a funeral takes place," Maiola said.

More: Montgomery County Commission Chair Elton Dean dies

Ivey spoke about Dean’s death on social media Tuesday afternoon.

“Montgomery County Commission Chairman Elton Dean was an effective advocate for this city and a good man,” Ivey tweeted. “His leadership defined bipartisanship, and I will certainly miss his voice for the Montgomery community. I offer my prayers and heartfelt condolences to his family.”

Residents of District 2 can present their comments andconcerns to commissioners and staff until Ivey makes her appointment, Milledge said.

Dean was the commission’s chairman from 2009 until his death. Vice Chairman Doug Singleton will assume the role of chairman, and the commission will elect a new vice-chairman.

Singleton said that he has been serving as “acting chairman” while Dean has been in the hospital and unable to attend meetings since January and feels comfortable taking over Dean’s position.

“It won't be a big change for me from what I've been doing for the past six months,” Singleton said. “I was well trained by him and prepared when all this happened, so I'm comfortable in the role now.”

When the commission met Tuesday morning, just hours after Dean’s death, Singleton said it was upsetting to hear some people call him “Chairman Singleton.”

“My chairman is Chairman Dean, you know. He is my chairman,” he said. “Nobody meant anything by it, but it upset me a little bit because it just made me realize that Chairman Dean wasn't there with me anymore.”

Singleton said he’s confident in the commission’s ability to move forward after losing its longtime leader.

“I've got great commissioners with me, and they're all very passionate and they're all very good at their job and they represent the districts in the county well,” Singleton said. “We'll just keep on working like we've been doing, and we'll just move forward.”

Evan Mealins is justice reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser. Contact him at emealins@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Elton Dean commission replacement to be appointed by Gov. Kay Ivey