After the New Year, the Board of Island County Commissioners will have a new leader.

The three county commissioners unanimously named Island County Commissioner Angie Homola as the new chairwoman of the board. Homola, a Democrat, represents the area around Oak Harbor.

As chairwoman, Homola will manage the meetings once the new commissioner, Republican Kelly Emerson, joins her and Commissioner Helen Price in the comfy chairs next year.

Price Johnson, the current chairwoman, explained that she originally thought that the new chairman or woman wasn’t selected until after Jan. 1, but she discovered that state law dictates the chairman or woman be named after the General Election.

Commissioner John Dean, who lost the election of Emerson, noted that it’s traditional for the chairmanship to rotate to the different districts and that it’s Homola’s turn.

Homola said both Dean and Price Johnson have set a great example.

“It’s going to be a tough act to follow,” she said.