Orange County Supervisor Doug Chaffee will lead the rest of the board for another year after his fellow supervisors unanimously voted to keep him on as chair for a rare second term.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The idea came from Supervisor Katrina Foley, who served as vice chair last year and was expected to be one of the leading candidates looking to take over his position before she pitched having both Chaffee and herself stay in their seats.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c2026 is going to be a challenging year,\u201d Foley said at the board\u2019s Tuesday meeting. \u201cI think continuity is important and I would enjoy the opportunity to serve with you again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chaffee said he was \u201clooking forward to a little more restful year,\u201d but that he looked forward to using his last year in office effectively.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI would accept the position if so elected.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
While largely a ceremonial post, the supervisors\u2019 board chair does have a unique ability to impact the formation of the weekly public meeting agenda and oversees regional appointments of supervisors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While the entire board ultimately voted in favor of Chaffee and Foley, the first vote was not unanimous.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Supervisor Don Wagner pitched having Supervisor Janet Nguyen take over as chair, highlighting she\u2019d spent the most years on the board of supervisors including her stint on the board before she served as a state senator.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There were expectations that Nguyen might have the votes to take over as chair despite a Democratic majority on the board.<\/p>\n