Watauga County now has a number of new elected officials on duty after they officially took oaths of office on Monday.

The Watauga County Board of Commissioners’ meeting opened with approval of minutes, followed by a recess during which a large crowd of supporters gathered for the swearing in of elected officials and court staff. A standing-room-only crowd gathered as county commissioners John Cooper, Mary Moretz and Billy Ralph Winkler took their oaths with their left hands placed on Bibles.

With Superior Court Judge Phil Ginn presiding over the ceremony, school board members Ron Henries, Lee Warren and Lowell Younce were also sworn in, along with Sheriff Len Hagaman, Clerk of Court Glenn Hodges and his staff, and Soil and Water Conservation District board members Jim Bryan and Diane Deal.

Before the ceremony, Ginn and Hodges presented the county commissioners with a “Flag of Honor,” bearing the names of those who died on 9/11.

The board reappointed Jim Deal as commission chairman and Billy Ralph Winkler as vice-chairman. During the annual organizational meeting, the board voted to continue with county manager Rocky Nelson, board clerk Anita Fogle with Rene Barnes as substitute clerk, and the law firm of di Santi, Watson, Capua and Wilson as the county’s legal representatives.

The commissioners also divvied up their board appointments for the year. Cooper will serve on the Blue Ridge Resource Conservation and Development Area board, Committee of 100, Community-Based Affordable Housing Steering Committee, Community Council with representatives from Appalachian State University, Boone and Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Commission, Future Forward Advisory Board, and the Watauga Opportunities board.

Deal will serve on the Community Council, Educational Planning Committee, Watauga Medical Center Board of Trustees, Watauga Personnel Advisory Committee, Watauga County Recreation Commission, Workforce Development Consortium and Western North Carolina Local Government Caucus.

Commissioner Winston Kinsey will serve on the Appalachian District Health Department board, EMS Advisory Committee, Watauga County Energy Park Working Group, Watauga County Fire Commission and Watauga County Cooperative Extension’s Advisory Leadership Council.

Moretz will serve on the Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute’s advisory board, the Children’s Council and Child Protection Team, Criminal Justice Partnership, Educational Planning Committee, Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, Project on Aging Advisory Committee, Volunteer Resource Center board, and Watauga County Social Services board.

Winkler will serve on the AppalCART board, High Country Council of Governments, AdvantageWest Council, Rural Transportation Advisory Committee, Library Board, Motor Vehicle Valuation Review Committee and New River Mental Health board.

Following the November election, the board is now composed completely of  Democrats.

The board voted to cancel its second December meeting and meet next on Jan 2.