Tempers flared Monday afternoon when county commissioners Michael Holden and Tim Lea engaged in a shouting match near the end of the board's regular meeting.

"Shut up," said Holden to Lea after the latter had suggested that a 3-2 vote would be reversed in December. The two commissioners are seated beside each other at the board's desk in the historic courthouse.

Lea's reply was drowned out by more comments by Holden and by repeated rapping of the gavel by Chairman David J. Cummings.

Although Cummings said he agrees with Holden, he told Holden to "beat up on me first." Cummings added that he "got beat up really bad in the press" after the last time the debated subject was raised.

The topic under discussion was the chairmanship of the Small Area Plan Area A steering committee, and, this time in particular, whether the committee chairman and vice chairman should be granted voting privileges.

Lea had made a motion to grant voting privileges, but that motion lost on a 3-2 vote with Commissioner Colin McKenzie voting with Lea. Commissioner Virginia Saunders voted with Cummings and Holden in opposition to the motion.

It was Saunders who made the motion to appoint Dave Kinney to lead the Area A committee with Paul Hodges as vice chairman. This was the initial recommendation of the Planning Board but one that the commissioners did not follow last summer, again on a split vote.

When Watts Auman declined to serve after being nominated, the issue returned to the commissioners for final action.

Check Wednesday's Pilot and ThePilot.com for the full story.