New planning commissioners OKd in 3-2 vote

Tyrone now has a full slate for its Planning Commission, but only by the narrowest of margins.

In a controversial vote that required Mayor Sheryl Lee to break a tie, the Town Council approved Ginger Blackstone, Donny James and Kevin Edwards to the board.

The controversy arose after the town’s two newest councilmen raised objections about the process involved in selecting the members. Council members Grace Caldwell and Gloria Furr objected to an e-mail sent by one of the candidates questioning whether a resume was really necessary for the position.

“In my former job, that e-mail would have gone in the trash,” Furr said.

Councilmen Paul Letourneau and Mike Smola favored going ahead and appointing the members since interviews had already occurred.

But Caldwell and Furr said they were not part of the process and would prefer waiting on making any appointments. With the vote deadlocked, Lee stepped in and broke the tie.

“I think we need to do this since we’ve already gone through the process,” she said.

Lee added that the matter could be discussed further at the town’s retreat Jan. 28.