High Card Gives Clay Board Chairmanship to Goodman

The high card won for Joe Goodman, and as a result the Xenia resident is new chairman of the Clay County Board.

Goodman challenged incumbent chairman Ted Whitehead and when the vote by the Board ended in a tie, Clay County Clerk Brenda Britton produced a deck of cards. Goodman drew the high card, so he is the new chairman. The Board then chose Barb McGrew to serve as vice-chairman.

Speaking of Britton, she announced in November that she is retiring as county clerk at the end of 2020. The Board appointed Clay City Village Clerk Amy Britton to succeed as clerk until the 2022 election.

Clay County Health Department Administrator Jeff Workman reported that the first shipment of COVID vaccine should arrive in the next couple of weeks. Clay County has the 8th highest COVID mortality rate in Illinois. Workman said front line workers will be vaccinated first, then those highest at-risk for contracting COVID, then those in long term care facilities. He said it's not yet clear how many doses of vaccine will be received.

The Board learned that the Little Wabash River bridge at Louisville will be opened on a temporary basis as of this Friday. In the spring, the bridge will again be closed to be completed, then will be permanently reopened. Also, the Board approved a lease agreement for a proposed new Clay City Clinic, and an agreement was renewed with the State's Attorney's Appellate Prosecutor Service for assistance on cases on appeal. Nancy Hinton was reappointed to the Clay County 708 Board for a four-year term.