Gov. Bob Riley has appointed Ed Vancil chairman of the Dallas County Board of Registrars.

Vancil, a retired Air Force pilot, previously served as registrar for Dallas County under governors Guy Hunt and Fob James.

He was replaced by Synethia Pettaway during Gov. Don Siegelman’s term of office.

As retired military, Vancil said he believes his precision in all things will help the county.

Vancil is a former businessman in Selma and a leading figure in the garment industry.

Retired Col. Brock Wells, chairman of the Dallas County Republican Party, said Gov. Riley asked for &uot;top quality&uot; candidates for the position, adding, &uot;That’s what we gave him.&uot;

The Board of Registrars’ major responsibility is keeping the list of registered voters updated and assigning polling places to voters. It’s composed of three members, appointed by the governor, the state auditor and the secretary of agriculture.

The board cannot be composed of a solid block of one party or the other. The county Democrats get an appointment to the board as well. None of the other members of the board has been named. Vancil received notification of his appoitment Thursday.

Pettaway said she was not surprised by the announcement, noting that her term of office is up at the end of September. &uot;All the board members are eligible to be replaced and that’s nothing significant,&uot; she said.

Pettaway said she has yet to receive official notification about the job change from the governor’s office. The announcement didn’t catch her off guard, however. &uot;It’s nothing that’s not unexpected because I’m definitely a Democrat.&uot;

Vancil said he is ready to work.