f county commissioners thought they were in a quandary before, they are about to be in a real mess now.

With the recent loses of a county manager, a county attorney, an EMS director and a recreation chief, Sampson’s leaders have found themselves in a strange and difficult position as they move into 2010. These aren’t easily filled positions nor are they ones in which a quick remedy can be found. The vacancies are part of the administrative arm of the county’s government and left unfilled for very long could cause a break very difficult to mend.

But as important as these positions are to the county, none are likely any more vital than the one held by Board of Elections director Sylvia Thornton, who announced last week that she, too, would be bidding adieu come January 30.

That’s midway into the filing period for the 2010 election, we might add.

But it would not matter if the filing period were months or days away, the loss of Thornton will be a significant one for Sampson and its governing board.

In her 39-year-tenure at the helm of the county’s Board of Election, Thornton has run a tight ship, managed to keep partisanship outside the door to her offices and handled elections in an effective and praise-worthy fashion.

Her knowledge of elections laws is phenomenal; her ability to keep a cool head admirable; her determination to be fair to all sides respected by both major parties; and her stellar performance as an elections director admired throughout the state of North Carolina.

Her shoes will be big ones to fill for all those and so many other reasons.

Commissioners know this already since in February 2008, when Thornton first talked about retiring, they voted to give her a $10,000 raise, boosting her pay, but not to nearly what her services and experience were even worth.

But because of her commitment to the elections process, and to a lesser extent the raise, Thornton stayed. What’s more, she’s even agreed to come back and help now, should she be needed.

No question she will be, at least in the interim, as commissioners buckle down and work to find someone who can take over these all-important reins at a time when a smooth transition is absolutely imperative.

Thornton will be sorely missed by many throughout Sampson County but none more than the commissioners, who have a plate full of vacancies to fill and now, perhaps, one of the largest cogs in the government’s wheel.

While finding a replacement for Thornton won’t be an easy task, it is one we recommend commissioners begin the process for immediately. They can ill afford to leave a void in that office for too long.

And while those who have worked under Thornton have always done a magnificent job, without their leader at the helm during this all-too critical time in the elections process, they, too, will be in a quandary and in need of help they should be afforded as quickly as possible.

Commissioners need to act quickly, but with vision and wisdom, as they find someone to take Thornton’s seat. And they need to begin this process understanding just how important the job they are trying to fill really is.

Any less, and this board will be short-changing a process that cannot and should not be treated as any less than the all-important department it really is.