Quentin Miller is now Buncombe County sheriff. Fresh off his sweeping victory in last month’s election, Miller was officially sworn into office Monday afternoon at the Buncombe County courthouse. Miller replaces Van Duncan, who decided to retire after three terms and 12 years in office. He's the first African-American to hold the office.
Miller took the oath of office in a packed courtroom, and received standing ovations when he first entered and after the oath was adminstered by Chief District Judge Calvin Hill. In brief remarks following the oath, Miller promised to follow through on his campaign promise of building stronger ties between residents and law enforcement – something he calls ‘the community of we.’ He told reporters afterwards the first step to achieve that is holding a series of town hall meetings, which will be scheduled soon.
After last month’s election results, the seven largest counties in North Carolina – which includes Buncombe – have African-American sheriffs. Five of those counties, including Buncombe, elected African-American sheriffs for the first time.
