McCall becomes third woman to be named Chair of County Board of Commissioners
HENDERSONVILLE — The Henderson County Board of Commissioners played a brief game of musical chairs at the beginning of its Dec. 5 meeting, and the main chair ended up being taken by a woman for just the third time in the county's history.
After three commissioners (William Lapsley, Rebecca McCall and Mike Edney) were sworn in after winning re-election this year, Board Chair Lapsley nominated McCall, 66, as the new Chair, and the Board unanimously agreed.
"I am very humbled and honored that the other commissioners have confidence in me to represent the Board as Chair," McCall, who has been serving on the Board since 2018, said. "I appreciate the opportunity and look forward to the year ahead."
Mildred Barringer was the first woman in the county to be named Chair of the Commissioners and held the position from 1979-82. Renee Kumor, who served on the Board from 1992-2000, was the last woman to be named Chair, a position she held from 1995-96 after being Vice Chair in 1994.
Lapsley, currently in his second term having served on the Board since 2014, held the Chair in 2021. Shortly after taking her spot in the head chair, McCall nominated Edney as the Vice Chair, and he was also unanimously voted in.
McCall is an East Henderson High graduate and earned degrees at three colleges (Blue Ridge Community College, Brevard College and Montreat College). She and her husband, Ernest W. McCall Sr., live in Henderson County and have three children (Ernest W. "Bud" McCall Jr., Charles Erik McCall and Katie Marie (McCall) Lamb. She also has six grandchildren.
She worked at GE Lighting from 1991-2001 and at Hubbell Lighting, beginning in 2003 and working until her retirement in 2017.
She is a member of the Hendersonville Lions Club and also Bethel Wesleyan Church. She's a past member of Illuminating Equipment Society and past Vice Chair of the Lighting Division of National Electrical Manufacturers Association. She's also a charter member of Upsilon Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa at Blue Ridge Community College.
Edney, 62, is currently in his sixth term and has served on the Board since 2010 and formerly from 1988-96, having been Chair three times (1991-92, 2011 and 2017). He also was Vice Chair in 1993.
He and his wife, Lisa, have two children: Mitch and Megan. Edney is a 1978 Hendersonville High graduate and went on to earn his bachelor's degree in Political Science from UNC Asheville in 1982. He earned his doctorate from the University of South Carolina in 1985.
Edney has a private law practice that's been in business since 1985. His civic activities are as follows: Cable Television Review Committee, Cane Creek Water and Sewer District Board, Henderson County Republican Party Executive Committee, Mud Creek Water and Sewer District Board, Regional Water Authority Asheville/Buncombe-Henderson, Republican Men's Club, Trend Area Mental Health Board and Travel and Tourism Committee.
He's also a member of the Governmental Financing Committee, the Joint College Facility Committee, the Local Emergency Planning Committee and the Local Government Committee on Cooperative Action.
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: McCall becomes third woman to be named Chair of Board of Commissioners
