Jamieson Urges “Accountability and Transparency” in Library Dispute, Outlines Governance Plan

At the Sept. 16 Warren County Board of Supervisors meeting, Supervisor Dr. Richard Jamieson used his report to make a wider case about how local leaders should serve the public. He tied his message to the ongoing conflict over Samuels Library and said the county should lean on process, not “emotional rhetoric.”

“Transparency and accountability… aren’t just buzzwords,” Jamieson said. “They’re the foundation upon which democratic institutions must operate.”

Jamieson framed his remarks as a lesson in what he called “good governance.” He said the county’s debates should be effective, based on facts the public can see, and judged by outcomes people can measure. “The quality of our democratic discourse determines the quality of our governance,” he said.

A Framework He Calls “BEGET”

Jamieson shared a four-part checklist he summarized as BEGET:

• Behavior aligned with the public interest and public oversight.
• Governance with taxpayer representation when public money is involved.
• Efficiency in costs and service.
• Transparency through public access to information.

“When these elements are present, good government naturally follows,” he said.

A 6-Step “Transparent Policy Development” Model

Jamieson then walked through a six-step process he calls Transparent Policy Development. He said it starts by recognizing the problem, then moves to gathering facts, research, recommendations, debate on the merits, and finally policy decisions that the public can see and judge.

“All citizens have access to the same information… and representative democracy works to determine whether recommendations are enacted or not,” he said.

How He Says the Library Debate Broke Down

Jamieson said step one—recognizing the problem—came in 2023 when the children’s book controversy showed the county had too little oversight over a mostly publicly funded service. “The BOS had only one token seat on a 15-member Samuels board,” he said. He noted the Board proposed adding four supervisor-appointed trustees, which he said would still be less than one-third of the seats.

“Samuels’ response? Flat rejection,” Jamieson said, adding the library  “hired a $50,000 Richmond PR firm to malign the Board as book banners and library de-funders.”

He said the county then documented events, gathered financial and comparative data, and recommended a new county-appointed library board to align oversight with funding. The breakdown, he said, came at step five—“debate on the merits.”

“Instead of substantive debate, we got something else entirely,” Jamieson said.

“Victims vs. Villains” and a “False Target”

Jamieson said critics conflated county concerns about leadership and governance with an attack on “the library” itself. “Make it appear the BOS is attacking the library rather than seeking effective oversight,” he said. He called it “classic misdirection.”

“There is no victim here—only decision makers who refuse to be held accountable,” he said.

Issues, He Says, Were Not Debated

Jamieson listed topics he said never got a fair public airing:

• Behavior: “Samuels spent over $50,000 on a PR campaign… sued the county… claimed private ownership of assets contrary to state charitable trust rules… refused competitive procurement processes,” he said.
• Governance: “94% public funding with only 6% taxpayer representation,” he said, calling it “the opposite of how public services should operate.”
• Efficiency: “Per capita staff costs are 58% higher than neighboring libraries… Director costs per resident are ~3.5× Handley’s Library, he said.
• Transparency: He said Samuels “rejected BOS FOIA requests,” put “a $10,000 price tag on basic information,” and needs to account for “$6.5 million of taxpayer funds transferred to private Samuels accounts over three years,” “the $1.25 million gap” in construction costs, and “$138,700” in PPP funds.

Samuels disputes these assertions—particularly on FOIA, costs, and governance—and says audits, IRS Form 990s, state aid reporting, and posted board minutes demonstrate transparency. Samuels says the estimate followed Virginia FOIA’s standard cost-recovery and that it stood ready to fulfill the request if filed properly and paid.

Jamieson also argued that the library is not out of money. “Samuels is well-funded for at least a year,” he said, citing private fundraising, an endowment, and public statements about operating as a private library.

New Points Jamieson Emphasized

Jamieson added several points he said have been missing from the public conversation:

• Independence vs. funding: He said Samuels “has half of what it wants—complete independence,” noting private fundraising and an endowment. But he said the library also seeks public funding without accepting oversight frameworks proposed by the 2023 BOS or the 2025 BOS. He characterized the 2023 Board as having “punted under pressure of library closure” and credited Samuels for not deploying that tactic now, calling consistency “credible.”
• No case for “destruction”: Jamieson said “nobody has laid out” how Samuels would be “destroyed” by either oversight approach—the 2023 proposal to add supervisor-appointed trustees (still less than one-third of the board) or the 2025 county-appointed public library board model.
• Open to debating metrics: He said from the dais that any supervisor is welcome to make a motion to change how the Board gauges public input—“counting hands at meetings, tallying emails, Facebook posts, or letters to the editor”—so the Board can have that debate in the open. His point: if someone wants a different metric, bring it to a vote.
• PAC and “marketing” spend: Jamieson said a small number of activists and PACs have funded thousands of dollars in political “marketing” that leans on identity politics, pushing an effective but inaccurate narrative. He argued this crowds out a merits-based debate over governance, cost, and transparency.
• Jamieson said the 2023 Board concluded contingent funding was a ‘cudgel’—disruptive, not true oversight—and proposed adding supervisor-appointed trustees (still under one-third).
• In 2025, the Board tried an alternative used in many counties: a county-appointed public library board. “If Samuels declines public oversight, he said, the consistent outcome is private oversight with private funding while services continue outside county control.”

A Contrast With a Fellow Supervisor

Jamieson showed quotes from Supervisor Cullers accusing a Board majority of trying to “destroy the library” and acting on a “personal agenda.” He read from a constituent email to Cullers that backed financial oversight: “You have left people like me in your own district without representation… I want a library to serve all people… and I want answers.”

“The interest of the whole community is served by good governance, not emotional rhetoric,” Jamieson said.

The Choice He Put to Voters

Jamieson ended by saying the library fight is about how Warren County governs. “Ask yourself: Do you want leaders who follow evidence and withstand the pressure of special interest lobbying, or leaders who rely on emotional rhetoric?” he said. “Accountability and transparency beget good government.”