By Heather Clower
The Parsons Advocate
Two years shy of the conclusion of his six year term, Patrick Darlington will be stepping down as one of the three Tucker County Commissioners. At the April 10 Commission Session, Darlington made the official announcement of his resignation, due to relocation for employment, to his home area of Martinsburg, WV.
Darlington moved to the county in 2006 where he quickly became active in the community. He served as a volunteer with little league sports and was a large supporter of organizations such as 4-H and FFA. He finalized his purchase of Performance Motors in Parsons in 2007 where his commitment to the community grew exponentially.
In 2013, Darlington decided to take it another step further when he ran for office of County Commission. He spent all of 2014 campaigning and was elected to office. His term began January 1, 2015. He has served alongside Commission President Lowell Moore, former Commissioner Diane Hinkle, and newly elected Commissioner Fred Davis during his tenure. “It’s been my privilege to serve the citizens of Tucker County,” he said Wednesday. “Tucker County is a prideful county, you don’t see that very often anymore,” he elaborated. “I have enjoyed working with the public on the betterment for the county,” he concluded.
Moore and Davis both commended Darlington on his dedication to the position and thanked him for his service and wished him well in his future endeavors. His final day as commissioner will be May 31, 2019. In regards to Darlington’s resignation, Davis made the following comment. “I wish him good luck and the best on his new job and it has been nice working with him for the few months I have.” Moore, who was already in office when Darlington was elected, stated “In the past eight plus years as a commissioner, I have been honored to have served with five different commissioners including Commissioner Pat Darlington. To accomplish progress requires working together. We might not always agree but we must agree to disagree. In the end, we come together to serve the people. Commissioner Darlington has served well and it has been a pleasure working with him. I wish him and his family the best in their new endeavor.”
The County Commission will run an ad in the paper regarding the vacancy they must fill. To be eligible for this position, the interested party must be of the same party affiliation, in this case a Republican, and reside in the Shavers Fork District. Therefore, any Republican who votes at Precinct 3, St. John’s Methodist Church, Precinct 4, the Tucker County Courthouse, or Precinct 5, the Tucker County Board of Education, can submit a letter of interest to the Commission Office.
Once the application period has closed, WV Code 7 Chapter 3 Article 10 states, “any vacancy in the office of county commissioner or clerk of county commission shall be filled by appointment by the county commission. “ It also states the applicant must have been with the respected party at minimum 60 days. If a replacement candidate cannot be agreed upon between Moore and Davis, the code further states, “If a quorum of the county commission fails to make an appointment within 30 days, the county executive committee of the same political party with which the person holding the office preceding the vacancy was affiliated at the time the vacancy occurred, shall submit a list of three legally qualified persons to fill the vacancy. Within 15 days from the date on which the list is received, the county commission shall appoint a candidate from the list to fill the vacancy. If the county commission fails to make the appointment within the specified time, then the county commissioner with the longest tenure shall eliminate one name from the submitted list, followed by the county commissioner with the second-longest tenure then eliminating one name from the submitted list. The name remaining after those two names have been eliminated shall be deemed to be appointed by the county commission to fill the vacancy.” If this process is deemed unsuccessful, the Governor will then be provided a list of three qualified applicants to choose between.
Watch in The Parsons Advocate for the vacancy posting to run with instructions on how to apply.
