Spoiler alert: yes! Local health directors are appointed public officials who must take an oath of office. But what makes a local health director a public official? And which oath of office should they take? Let’s discuss.

Does this person need to take an oath of office? This is by far the most frequent oaths of office question I receive. My colleagues Trey Allen and David Lawrence have written excellent blogs (here and here) on this very … Read more

Article VI, Section 7 of the North Carolina Constitution instructs anyone elected or appointed to public office in this state to take and subscribe – that is, swear (or affirm) and sign – the oath prescribed therein before entering upon … Read more

After each county and city election there is a transition period during which newly-elected officers have not yet been installed and outgoing officers are still in power. This blog post answers questions about what happens during this transitional period, when … Read more

Hector Peabody is fuming.  Several months ago one of his neighbors called town hall and complained that he was running an illegal kennel in his backyard.  Sure, he raised plot hounds, kept them in a pen out back and the … Read more