Montgomery County Board Rejects Chairman’s Committee Assignments in 6-7 Vote

Montgomery County Board Meeting | May 12, 2026

Article Summary: The Montgomery County Board on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, seated a newly appointed member in District 5 and then voted down County Board Chairman Doug Donaldson’s recommended slate of committee and liaison assignments, 6-7, leaving the existing assignments in place for another month.

Committee Assignments Vote Key Points:

• The board declared a vacancy in County Board District 5 and appointed Cody Gudgel to fill it, with County Clerk and Recorder Sandy Leitheiser administering the oath at 5:32 p.m.
• Donaldson’s recommended committee and liaison assignments failed on a roll-call vote of 6-7, one of the few divided votes of the night.
• Gudgel, seated minutes earlier, joined the majority in voting no.
• Donaldson told members all committee assignments will remain the same for next month.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — The Montgomery County Board on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, rejected County Board Chairman Doug Donaldson’s recommended slate of committee and liaison assignments on a 6-7 roll-call vote, an unusual defeat for the chairman on a night when nearly every other item before the board passed unanimously.

The vote came during the Coordinating Committee report, which Donaldson gave himself. He referred members to a list of new committee assignments he was recommending and moved their approval, with a second from Russell Beason.

Voting yes were Beason, Donaldson, Keith Hancock, Ethan Murzynski, Chad Ruppert and Evan Young. Voting no were Connie Beck, Rob Corso, Chris Daniels, Cody Gudgel, Mark Hughes, Jeremy Jones and Patty Whitworth. The motion failed.

The minutes record no debate on the item and no stated reasons from members on either side of the split. After the vote, Donaldson informed members all committee assignments will remain the same for next month.

New Member Seated Minutes Before the Vote

The failed slate followed two related actions at the top of the meeting. Donaldson moved, with a second from Young, to declare a vacancy in County Board District 5. The motion carried with all in favor.

Donaldson then moved, seconded by Jones, to appoint Cody Gudgel to fill the District 5 vacancy. That motion also carried unanimously, and County Clerk and Recorder Sandy Leitheiser administered the official oath to the newly appointed board member. The minutes list Gudgel as appointed at 5:32 p.m., two minutes after Donaldson called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.

Gudgel was recorded as present for the roll call, which showed 13 members present and none absent. The minutes note that one member vacancy exists in County Board District 7.

The District 7 seat has been open for at least several weeks. At the board’s Coordinating Committee meeting on Thursday, March 26, 2026, Donaldson said he anticipated an appointment for the County Board vacancy in District 7. No District 7 appointment appears on the May agenda or in the May minutes.

Gudgel’s first recorded roll-call votes came in quick succession. He voted yes on mileage and per diem claims read by Leitheiser, and yes on the Consent Agenda. His no vote on committee assignments came roughly midway through the meeting.

Board Otherwise Largely Unified

The committee assignments vote stood out against the rest of the night’s business. Every other roll-call vote taken during the meeting — on mileage and per diem, on the award of the EMA building bid, on a Coal Fund 375 spending cap for the county’s 127 N. Main Street property, and on bills and payroll — was recorded as unanimous with all 13 members voting yes.

The only other divided action was the award of the 2026 Township MFT oil letting, which carried with Daniels and Murzynski abstaining rather than opposing.

The board approved the committee reports and minutes on a motion by Hughes and a second from Hancock, all in favor, after the assignments vote had already failed.

Committee membership determines which members review contracts, bids, personnel requests and spending before items reach the full board. Under the existing structure, Ruppert chairs Development & Personnel, Hughes chairs Buildings & Grounds, Murzynski chairs Roads & Bridges and Beck chairs Finance & Budget. Donaldson presents the Coordinating Committee report.

The board’s next regular full board meeting is set for Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. in the County Board Room of the Historic Courthouse in Hillsboro. Tuesday’s meeting adjourned at 6:55 p.m. on a motion by Murzynski and a second from Ruppert.