County promotes PA to fulltime, Higbee picks new mayor

Thanks to a blitz of educational meetings by the Randolph County Commission, voters approved making the current part-time prosecuting attorney’s position one that is full-time.

Commissioners attended town, school and civic meetings to explain the county needs someone who could focus all their energies on the job of keeping citizens safe.

The commissioners spent nearly a year researching the issue to find a way to fund the job before submitting the proposition. Their solution will lead to the loss of one of the current assistant prosecuting attorneys, whose salary will make up the increase required.

Presiding Commissioner Susan Carter said of the passage, “I think people will look back and see that putting this on the ballot was the right thing at the right time for the county as we plan for the future.  Beginning January 1st, Randolph County will have a prosecuting attorney devoting 100% of his time working for the county, serving the needs of the citizens more effectively, supporting the good work of the Sheriff’s Department, the court system and the needs of the other county offices.  I’m grateful that the voters allowed us to move forward in this direction.”

The current prosecutor is Mike Fusselman. He has served 20 years in the position and has filed for re-election, facing no opposition.

Fusselman said, “I am grateful for the change to work one job instead of two. It is not an easy task to do both jobs effectively and I do not envy those prosecutors with similar caseloads. It will be much easier to execute the responsibilities of prosecutor without the worries of a private practice or the many inherent conflicts that present themselves in doing both.”

Higbee                        

In Higbee, a dynasty of town governance has come to an end for the Bankhead family with the election of Robert Ashworth as Higbee mayor. Ashworth won over Bankhead by a vote of 167-57.

For several years there has been a feud of sorts between the Higbee governing body and the Higbee Community Betterment Association. That rift became a chasm when HCBA brought charges against the mayor’s son, who had previously served as mayor himself, Lowell “Chuck” Bankhead, in 2005 for felony stealing which resulted in time in prison. Upon his parole, peace seemed to return to Higbee. But last summer, the city decided it needed a city advisor, someone who could write grants for the much-needed projects in town. The Board of Aldermen gave the job to Chuck Bankhead.

While it was thought the opposition to this move was small, Tuesday’s vote might point otherwise.

It would follow that an HCBA proponent would run in opposition to Mayor Bankhead. However, Ashworth is described as a life-long Higbee resident who is just concerned about his town.