Washington County council deadlocks on president; Abbott named interim

The Washington County Council split on nominations for council president Jan. 5, 2026, producing two 3–3 roll-call votes and no winner, then installed Councilmember Mark Abbott as interim president until the February meeting. Attorney Alyssa Cochran told the body to wait until all members are present to resolve the leadership question permanently.

Two separate votes produced exact 3–3 ties: one to elect Karen Wischmeier and one to elect Brad Gilbert. After both results failed to produce a majority, Cochran advised postponing a final decision to February. “We should wait until the February meeting when all members of the council are present,” Cochran said. Wischmeier then moved to appoint Abbott as interim president; the motion passed after a second by Councilmember Gerald Fleming.

The impasse occurred at the start of the council’s annual reorganization. The council approved December 2025 minutes earlier in the session and proceeded to nominations; because a full membership was not present, the attorney’s guidance and the interim appointment set the council’s leadership for the coming month. The council intends to revisit the presidency at its February meeting.