Two more resign from Cape County disabilities board

County commissioners received word Friday of two more resignations from members of the Cape County Board for Developmental Disabilities.

County Clerk Kara Clark Summers said the board's former chairwoman, Dory Johnson, submitted a letter of resignation to her office. Summers said Johnson's husband, Daniel Johnson, brought the letter to the clerk's office Friday morning. The letter said her resignation was effective immediately and gave no other details.

Johnson did not return a call for comment Friday afternoon.

Board member Arlysse Popp also told county Commissioner Jay Purcell on Friday she has definite plans to resign but has not yet had a chance to submit a letter.

The clerk's office released board member Delores Watson's handwritten letter of resignation Friday. Watson resigned by giving the letter to Purcell immediately following the board's Tuesday meeting.

"I am respectfully resigning my position on the CCBDD board effective immediately," Watson wrote. "I hope the CCBDD can find a way to solve the current controversy."

Board member Larry Tidd, who was elected to replace Johnson as chairman by a 3-2 vote Tuesday, said Friday he did not want to comment on the resignations until he received official notice from the county commission.

Along with Tidd, the remaining board members are Jim Andrews, Jeff Baer, Ruth Ann Dickerson and Dixie McCollum. Board member Bryan Noack resigned June 17.

Presiding Commissioner Clint Tracy said three applications for board membership have been submitted to the commission. One application is from Douglas Morrison, who regularly attends the board's meetings and has a 24-year-old daughter with cerebral palsy. Morrison submitted his application shortly after the resignation of Noack.

Tracy said the time it would take to fill the board would depend on how many applications were received. He said no actions to appoint new members would likely be added to the commission's agenda for next week.

The board is in charge of overseeing taxpayer-funded services for people with developmental disabilities.