HAMPTON, Tenn. (WJHL) — At a Carter County Board of Commissioners meeting Monday night, commissioners appointed Committee Chairwoman Patty Woodby as the new Carter County mayor following the death of Mayor Rusty Barnett in late September.
Woodby served as the interim mayor until being elected Monday night to serve as the permanent mayor.
Winning with a 16 out of 23 majority vote, Woodby is to complete the remainder of Barnett’s term and will serve until August 31, 2022.
“I’m going to give 110% to this, and I appreciate all the candidates tonight,” Woodby said. “I appreciate all your input and collaboration as I go throughout this process.”
In the four-hour-long special-called meeting, five candidates shared their hopes for Carter County, discussing issues such as adding jobs within the community, broadband and internet availability in rural areas, decreasing drug use and tackling food insecurity and homelessness.
Woodby formerly served as the commission chairwoman and was appointed to interim mayor following Barnett’s death.
