Sampson County’s Republican Party is to be applauded for the apparent lesson in civility and organization it displayed this week as its executive committee made the selection for a new Dist. 3 county commissioner, one who will fill the unexpired term of vice chairwoman Sue Lee, who vacated her position earlier this month.

While the selection process was secret, as permissible by law, there seems to have been no discourse as the committee gathered behind closed doors to interview and then vote on one of three candidates to fill the open seat. Because of the secrecy surrounding the meeting, there is no way of really knowing what occurred, but given the lack of phones ringing here at The Independent offices and the deep silence on social media, by all accounts it was a good meeting that gave three really top-notch candidates an opportunity to share their platforms and ideas should they be selected to fill Lee’s term. And then, in the true American way, votes were cast and the person with the most total votes got the nod (see story on A1).

Local GOP chairwoman Telia Kivett gave that indication, herself, when she provided the information on the person the committee has now recommended to the Board of Commissioners. While she did not divulge the names of the other candidates, again permissible as set out in the GOP’s bylaws, Houston “Chip” Crumpler, the man who got the nod for the Dist. 3 seat, indicated in his remarks after being selected that the other two candidates were both qualified and cared about the county and its future.

It was a process that deserves sincere thanks from everyone in the county, no matter their party politics. Any time someone vacates a position before a term ends, it opens the floodgates for issues to arise. Oftentimes people choose camps, draw lines and battle it out to the death, causing serious rips in the party. But to Kivett’s credit, she apparently conducted a by-the-book recommendation process and to the committee’s credit they ran it the same way, providing those interested in the position a chance to share their thoughts and the full committee an opportunity to vote their conscience. And by all indications, everything went off without a hitch or without anyone harboring any ill will.

That is a good indication that the three candidates were all upstanding individuals who care more about the county than their own personal agendas.

We believe Crumpler to be that kind of person, and we, again, applaud the local GOP for its recommendation of him as the presumptive county commissioner representing Dist. 3. Without doubt, he’s a good choice for the seat. Energetic and with a keen business sense, Crumpler has proven his mettle as a supporter of this county by virtue of all the things he has worked hand-in-hand with the town of Roseboro to accomplish. What’s more, we know Crumpler to be a critical thinker, someone who will look at the big picture and make good, conservative decisions based on what he sees and not what someone else will tell him to see. In other words, we don’t believe he will be easily swayed by politics, social media mongering or behind-the-scenes arm twisting.

And he apparently believed similarly about his competitors for the seat, given his statements about them.

While we don’t know who the other two candidates for the seat were, we applaud them, and Crumpler, for stepping forward and offering to serve the county in what can often be a thankless job. The role of a public servant comes with its ups and downs, and as we’ve noted from this page before, the county is facing some uphill battles as a relatively new group of commissioners navigate choppy waters lacking much of the historic knowledge that once existed on the administrative and governing sides.

There is much to be decided — who will be chairman and vice chairman, who will be the interim and eventually new county manager, who will head up finance, just to name a few — and much to do as 2025 comes into view.

We hope the new board will come out of the gate with a bi-partisan approach, working together to tackle the issues in a way that will make Sampson County stronger.

If the process to select Crumpler is any indication, there is hope that the stormy waters we anticipated may be calmed. We can only hope and pray that is the case.