LEWISBURG — The first meeting of 2009 for the Greenbrier County Commission saw the election of a new president, the introduction of a new sheriff’s chief deputy and the announcement of a full-time deputy to investigate child sex crimes.

By a 2-1 tally, Commissioner Betty Crookshanks was elected new commission president Wednesday. Crookshanks and newly elected Commissioner Karen Lobban voted in favor of the motion and Commissioner Brad Tuckwiller voted against it.

Serving in her second term on the governing body, Wednesday marked the fourth time in the last nine years that Crookshanks has been elected commission president.

“I hope we can all work together for the greater good of Greenbrier County,” she said.

Crookshanks said the commission invited courthouse officials and others to a luncheon in downtown Lewisburg Wednesday in an effort to “start the year off on a good foot.”

In other commission action, new Sheriff Jim Childers asked the commission to hire a retired 25-year veteran of the California Highway Patrol as new chief deputy.

The commission unanimously approved that Kenneth M. Gazaway, 68, of Lewisburg, become the No. 2 man in the sheriff’s department. Gazaway’s salary will be approximately 40,000 a year, officials said.

Gazaway spent 25 years with the CHP in various roles, including security for the lieutenant governor and road patrol supervisor, among others. Gazaway also served for 11 years as the assistant judge for Lewisburg Municipal Court and 12 years as the assistant physical plant director at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine.

“My main objective will be to develop policies for an operating and procedures manual for the department as requested by Sheriff Childers,” Gazaway said. “Sheriff Childers has also requested that I conduct a feasibility study of the sheriff’s department.”

Also, Childers assigned Deputy Adam Martin to the full-time position of investigating child sex and domestic violence crimes in the county.

Childers said Martin will be working closely with the Lewisburg Child Youth and Advocacy Center and the Family Refuge Center. The new position had been one of Childers’ campaign promises.

Martin has been investigating child sex crimes the last five of his seven years as a deputy.

He has been responsible for assisting in the convictions of several high-profile child sex offenders in the past five years.

“One of the biggest obstacles has been getting enough time to investigate these crimes,” Martin said.

In a news conference held after the county commission meeting, Childers pledged to have “an open door policy” with the media and also announced a mutual aid agreement between the cities of White Sulphur Springs, Ronceverte and Lewisburg.

“I want to work closely with all the municipalities of Greenbrier County,” he said. “We need to be one, big happy family.”

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