With Shelby County Commissioner Wyatt Bunker’s official notice of resignation on Monday, tendered formally in a letter to County Commission chair James Harvey, the Commission will have at least one vacancy to fill on the 13-member body, and, if Bunker has his druthers, it may have another.
The second potential vacancy is that of Bunker’s Commission colleague Chris Thomas, who has been asked by Bunker, now serving as mayor of Lakeland, to apply for the job of Lakeland city manager.
Lakeland’s Board of Commissioners, which met Monday night, has delayed immediate action on replacing former city manager Robert “Bob” Wherry, who was fired last week. The vacancy has been publicly advertised, with a deadline for applications of December 13. The board will meet again on December 17 to decide on a hire.
Bunker’s letter to Harvey (see below) specified that his resignation would take effect on January 3. The Commission will be tasked with naming an interim replacewment for Bunker — and for Thomas, too, if need be. Both Bunker and Thomas are District 4 Republicans.
