The Loudon County Election Commission is temporarily without an administrator after the board voted to remove Dana Zehner from the position Tuesday night and offer the job to Susan Harrison, who currently is employed with the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office.

Three new Republican members, Marysue Jordan, Jim Davis and Darlene Shrub, were sworn in by County Mayor Doyle Arp at the beginning of the meeting. Jordan was then appointed to chair the commission with  the two Democrat representatives, former chairperson Betty Brown and Sue Jane Hartsook voting in opposition to the change.

With Republicans taking control of the Tennessee General Assembly in November, commissions in every county are shifting in power to three Republicans and two Democrats. Likewise many commissions are changing to a Republican administrator.

Hartsook and Brown also voted against a motion to offer the administrator position to Harrison.

Zehner informed the board the position needed to be vacant before it could be offered to someone else and so another 3-2 vote was cast removing Zehner who promptly stood up and left the meeting still in progress.

She then went to her office and collected her things, which were already in boxes, turned in her keys and left the building.

After the meeting adjourned the commissioners spent several minutes discussing the actions taken and generally agreed to work together in the future.

Jordan said, when asked after the meeting, she didn’t expect Zehner to leave immediately.

“It was our understanding she would stay on and help transition the next person into the office, but she chose differently,” Jordan said. “There’s a vacancy until Susan can work her two-week notice and start.”

Jordan said the toughest part of the transition is through and she expects the group to work together well. 

“I think everybody on the commission wants to work together in a bipartisan way,” she said. “We’ve got a good group of people that fully intend to work together.”

She also said there was some animosity in the group over the change in administration, but anyone who is in the position should know it is temporary.

Zehner said, after the meeting, she fully expected to be removed and there has been talk “all over town” about the action taking place.

“What’s done is done,” she said. 

She also said she doesn’t have any plans for what’s next in her career.