By Billy Davis

The Panola County Board of Supervisors will select its board president today, and make decisions about other appointments, when a new board is seated in Sardis.

The county board, delayed by the New Year’s Day holiday, will meet at 9 a.m. at the county courthouse for its First District meeting.

The first order of business will be selecting a board president, most likely from returning supervisors James Birge, Vernice Avant and Kelly Morris.

Birge currently serves as vice president.

Rookie supervisors John Thomas and Cole Flint will take their seats today to represent Districts 3 and 5 respectively.

Now-former supervisor Gary Thompson was serving as board president when he lost to Thomas in the August primary, which kicked off speculation over who will fill the position.

After selecting their board president, supervisors will entertain motions for three positions: board attorney, county engineer and road manager.

Bill McKenzie serves as board attorney and has done so since 1984, making him the longest-serving person in the board room.

Lygunnah Bean serves as road manager, overseeing the second-largest budget in county government. He has held that position since 2003.

Bean is also a trustee for the South Panola School District, where he serves as board president.

Larry Britt, of Oxford engineering firm Elliot and Britt, has served as county engineer since 2005.