Political pioneer: Purnell 1st black woman elected as Worcester Commission president

The Worcester County Commission unanimously voted to elect Diana Purnell as commission president Tuesday.

A local inventor, entrepreneur and community volunteer, Purnell was elected to the commission as a District 2 representative in 2014 and served as vice president in 2017. She is taking the president’s seat from Commissioner Jim Bunting, who served as commission president for the last three years.

Chip Bertino, Worcester’s District 5 commissioner, said he expected Purnell to be a good fit for the position.

“I’ve known Diana for a long time and I have a great deal of respect for her abilities,” he said. “I think she’s going to be very good in that role.

Ted Elder, a District 4 county commissioner since 2014, was also unanimously elected vice president.

Purnell is a member of the Social Services Board, the Drug and Alcohol Abuse Council, and is a voting member of the Tri-County Council for the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland. She is also the former executive director of the Berlin Community Improvement Association and past president of the Worcester County Commission for Women

She was also the first African-American woman elected as a Worcester County …

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