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The first meeting of the newly seated members of the Onslow County Board of Education began with the election of its leadership and a moment of silence in memory of former chairman Pam Thomas.
The newly elected members of the board – incumbent Ken Reddic and newcomers Melissa Oakley, Joseph Speranza and Eric Whitfield – were sworn into office in December but the business meeting was canceled due to health concerns among the board due to COVID-19, pushing the board’s first meeting to Jan. 5.
During the organizational start of the meeting, the board elected Bob Williams as chairman and Jeff Hudson as vice chairman.
Editor’s note: This story is No. 4 in a series looking at the top 10 stories of 2020 for The Daily News, counting down from 10 to 1 from Dec. 23 to Jan. 1.
New school board member Eric Whitfield was sworn into office this month after a controversial path to his election that began with allegations of racism.
Whitfield, who was one of four Republican candidates for Onslow County Board of Education to win the party’s nomination in the March primary, was fired from his job and received backlash online after posting a racial remark on social media.
According to previous Daily News reports, he posted a comment on Facebook that used the term “ignorant darkies” in a reference to black people.
Three of the four newly elected members of the Onslow County Board of Education have been sworn into office.
Incumbent Ken Reddic was administered the oath of office along with new members Melissa Oakley and Eric Whitfield in a ceremony Tuesday night at the Eastern North Carolina Regional Skills Center.
“Now the real work begins,” Oakley said after the brief ceremony. Her family and Onslow County Commissioner Robin Knapp stood with her as she took the oath of office.
The three were sworn in by District Court Judge Michael Surles, who administered the oath from a microphone more than six feet away from the board members and their families to abide by safety guidelines to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Due to health concerns related to COVID-19, the swearing in of the school board members-elect will be done in two separate ceremonies and the first meeting of the newly elected Onslow County Board of Education will not be held until January.
The oath of office will be administered Tuesday, Dec. 15, Ken Reddic, who was re-elected to another term, and newcomers Melissa Oakley and Eric Whitfield. The ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. at the Eastern North Carolina Regional Skills Center in Jacksonville.
Due to ongoing health concerns for newly elected board member Joseph Speranza, he will be sworn into office separately on Tuesday, Dec. 29, at 4 p.m. at the ENCRSC. Speranza announced Nov. 25 on his social media page that he have tested positive for COVID-19 and was quarantined.