143-241. Appointment and terms of office of Commission members; filling of vacancies.

The members of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission shall be appointed as follows:

The Governor shall appoint one member each from the first, fourth, and seventh wildlife districts to serve six-year terms;

The Governor shall appoint one member each from the second, fifth, and eighth wildlife districts to serve two-year terms;

The Governor shall appoint one member each from the third, sixth, and ninth wildlife districts to serve four-year terms;

The Governor shall also appoint two at-large members to serve four-year terms.

The General Assembly shall appoint eight members of the Commission to serve two-year terms, four upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the House, four upon the recommendation of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, in accordance with G.S. 120-121. Of the members appointed upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the House and upon the recommendation of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, at least one of each shall be a member of the political party to which the largest minority of the members of the General Assembly belongs.

Thereafter as the terms of office of the members of the Commission appointed by the Governor from the several wildlife districts expire, their successors shall be appointed for terms of six years each. As the terms of office of the members of the Commission appointed by the General Assembly expire, their successors shall be appointed for terms of two years each. All members appointed by the Governor serve at the pleasure of the Governor that appointed them and they may be removed by that Governor at any time. A successor to the appointing Governor may remove a Commission member only for cause as provided in G.S. 143B-13. Members appointed by the General Assembly serve at the pleasure of that body and may be removed by law at any time. In the event that a Commission member is removed, the member appointed to replace the removed member shall serve only for the unexpired term of the removed member.