CHATHAM, Va. – Once newly-elected supervisors were sworn-in Tuesday and a new chairman was selected, their first order of business was to fire Pittsylvania County Administrator David Smitherman.

Three new board members – Jesse Barksdale, Darrell Dalton and Tim Chesher — joined supervisor and new board chair Vic Ingram in a 4-3 vote to terminate Smitherman as administrator.

Former board chair Bob Warren — along with supervisors Ronald Scearce and Tim Dudley — voted against the motion to fire Smitherman. Warren said the vote sends a “terrible message” while Scearce praised Smitherman’s work to bring jobs to the county. Smitherman was hired as county administrator in December 2016.

Ingram said that former administrator Clarence Monday will assume the position on a temporary basis.

After the vote to terminate Smitherman, the new board voted to strike from the record an October censure of Ingram, saying the action was politically motivated. Some board members voted to censure Ingram in the fall for text messages they construed as “racist.” Ingram denied the allegation.

Following Tuesday’s meeting, Ingram told the Chatham Star Tribune  county residents were outraged at a renegotiated contract that gave Smitherman a $9,400 bonus and a severance package and that citizens wanted a change.