|
Commissioners Name Gary Banks Yancey County Sheriff; Honor Retiring Sheriff Kermit Banks Yancey County Commissioners at their meeting on January 5, 2010, elected Gary Banks the new Sheriff of Yancey County. The action was necessary due to the vacancy left in the office by recently retired Sheriff Kermit Banks, who vacated the office as of December 31, 2009. This action made history by having the third generation of Banks men to serve as Yancey County Sheriff. Both Sheriff Gary Banks' father Kermit Banks and grandfather, the late Donald Banks, served as Yancey County Sheriff. North Carolina General Statute §162-5.1 sets forth the steps Commissioners must follow when there is a vacancy in the office of Sheriff. As the Sheriff is an elected position and he is a Republican, the Board of Commissioners was required to consult with the executive committee of the Yancey County Republican Party for their recommendation to fill the remainder of the sheriff's unexpired term. The Commissioners are bound by state law to elect the party executive committee's recommendation as Sheriff. The Commission began consultation immediately upon formal notification of the vacancy in mid-December and a certified letter and resolution recommending Gary Banks was received from the county Republican executive committee by the county manager on Monday, January 4, 2010. Sheriff Gary Banks was sworn into office immediately following the commissioners meeting by District Court Judge Greg Horne. Sheriff Banks began his law enforcement career in the sheriff's office as a deputy and was promoted to Chief Deputy in 1995. Commissioners hosted a reception for retired Sheriff Kermit Banks prior to the meeting. Several sheriffs from across the state were in attendance including Dare County Sheriff Rodney Midgett, Catawba County Sheriff David Huffman, McDowell County Sheriff Dudley Greene, and Avery County Sheriff Kevin Frye. Commissioners also approved a resolution recognizing the service of Sheriff Kermit Banks to Yancey County and presented him a framed copy of the resolution. The former sheriff greeted a large crowd of well wishers from around Yancey County as well as other officers of other area law enforcement agencies and legal community.
|