Board approves Captain Thomas Kelly as incoming board member

The board voted to approve Captain Thomas Kelly, a captain of the Riceville Volunteer Fire Department and a paramedic with more than 30 years of local service, as an incoming member of the county’s Board of Health and Human Services.

An executive committee presentation noted Kelly’s emergency-response background and recommended his nomination; the board moved and seconded his approval and recorded one abstention. "Therefore, Captain Kelly is approved to become a board member," the board chair announced after the vote. The four candidates recommended by the executive committee will be brought to the Buncombe County Commission for formal appointment by the commissioners.

Board members asked administrative questions about the candidate process and timing between application and final appointment; staff said timelines vary and that candidates are kept apprised throughout the executive-committee review and interview stages. The newly approved candidate will participate in an onboarding cohort with other incoming members.