Bryan County District 2 Commissioner Blondean Newman has announced she will step down and retire this year, after seven years on the board.

"It’s time," she said. "I was appointed to this position by the board of commissioners and they are truly some of the best. Before I was a county commissioner, I worked as the tax commissioner for 30 years and I have had a really good experience working for Bryan County."

Newman said when her previous term ended in 2006, she hoped someone would step in and run for the District 2 position. When nobody did, she continued.

"With this year being an election year, my retirement won’t cost the county an additional election," she said.

So what is Newman’s advice to whoever fills her shoes?

"Get in there and pull together with the other commissioners; work hard and be committed to Bryan County," she said.

Commission Chairman Jimmy Burnsed said he is disappointed.

"Blondean has done an excellent job and she knows a great deal about the county," he said.

Fourth district Commissioner Toby Roberts said Newman has done well in everything she’s worked on in the last 40 years in Bryan County.

"She has represented her district very well," he said. "We appointed her and she got a lot done and helped the rest of us in decision-making for the county."

While Roberts admitted Newman can be "a little quiet sometimes," he described her as a true Southern lady who gets along with everyone she meets.

"We thank her for her service to this board and we’ll be appointing someone once she resigns at the end of this year," he said. "She’s really going to be missed by all of us."