"I do believe there is a new order of things in New Hanover County," Thompson said after a unanimous vote swung in favor of his election to a one-year term. "I hope to carry the torch well."

In comments following the election, Thompson expressed gratitude toward the chairmen who served before him, specifically Ted Davis, saying, "Your efforts in teaching me have produced sound, measurable results."

The vote promised to cast a new face on a board that serves one of the most densely populated counties in North Carolina, at a time when the economic downturn looms over the upcoming budget cycle.

County officials have issued blunt warnings of more layoffs, furloughs and additional closing days for county offices in the times ahead. Thompson is now at the helm to steer the board toward proper fiscal management. Vice-chairman, Jonathan Barfield was also unanimously elected Monday night.

As chair, Thompson is tasked with presiding over board meetings; but the position also carries a sense of prominence that puts him in a leadership role, as county spokesperson.

During his tenure as county commissioner, Thompson, a veteran Marine, has always been frank, never shying away from debate or from issuing sharp, pointed questions and criticisms. His bold, audible speeches are often punctuated by metaphorical and figurative expressions.

Barfield, by contrast, is soft-spoken, his words rolling slowly off his tongue in an easy-to-understand, mellow tone.

Both were elected in 2008 to their first term in office.

Thompson replaced four-term commissioner Ted Davis, who offered to step down following a year as county chairman. Davis nominated Thompson in his stead, suggesting Monday night that the transformation in leadership was likely in part due to the wake that rippled through the county in 2008, when the voters showed they wanted a "change in the composition of this board as well as new leadership," he said.

The parents of Kimberly Munley, the national heroine and Carolina Beach native who put a stop to Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan’s shooting rampage through Fort Hood in November, said Monday that his daughter will be undergoing knee replacement surgery in January.

Munley’s parents accepted a certificate from the commissioners on her behalf. The certificate heralded what the board called her "heroic actions."

The surgery could preclude her from filling an active law enforcement role in the future, father Dennis Barbour, said.

"I define her as a realist," he said. "She knows what happened, she knows what the extent of her injuries are, and she knows that she may have future limitations, but she deals with it in a positive way."

Barbour said, "She can’t believe the support she’s got from all over the country."