After Financing Discussions the Supervisors Censure an Apologetic Hugh Henry for Last Meeting Citizen Confrontation

At its regular meeting on September 1st, the Warren County Board of Supervisors faced a number of items related to its available budget assets or available grant funding that could reduce the county government’s share of various expenditures. Included in those financial discussions under “New Business” were items:

J.1. Approval of the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) Grant – Box Hangars;

J.2. Approval of the FAA Grant – Runway Rehabilitation; both were presented by Public Works Director Mike Berry.

Then presented by Warren County Sheriff’s Captain Charles Brogan were:

J.3. Authorization to Advertise – Ordinance to Amend Chapter 30 of the Warren County Code to add and Ordain 30-13 – Service Incentive Payment for Warren County Sheriff’s Office Deputies and Communications Officers, and

WCSO Captain Charles Brogan presents details on proposed incentive payments to attract new county law enforcement personnel. Below is one of several graphics Captain Brogan used in his presentation. Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini

J.4. Authorization to Advertise – Ordinance to Amend Chapter 30 of the Warren County Code to add and Ordain 30-14 – Recruitment Incentive Payment for Warren County Sheriff’s Office Employees. Captain Brogan used graphics assistance to trace the cause and effect of the requested expenditures, seen as a positive method of attracting new officers to the WCSO, and hopefully, on the back end, being a factor in retaining those newly hired officers.

Censure: The non-financial ‘New Business’ item

Oh, then there was Item J.5, an official Censure of Fork District Supervisor Hugh Henry for his comments during Board Reports at the meeting of August 18, and a subsequent post-meeting verbal and physical confrontation with a citizen identified as Jay Newell, who posted on social media. As previously reported, per Henry’s Board Report comments, he apparently believed Newell’s social media posts on county business slandered him in a profane manner, which Henry was cited in the Censure Resolution as quoting without censorship during his August 18 board meeting report.

Prior to the 4-0 vote to censure Henry, who abstained, all supervisors, including Henry, commented on the incident and on Henry’s Board Report comments. It was noted that those comments culminated in a seeming challenge to the citizen to settle their differences outside where their cars were parked, following the meeting.

Before the vote, Henry was apologetic about his behavior. He noted that he should have listened to his own earlier, non-confrontational observations about social media posts and the reactions to them.

Fork District Supervisor Hugh Henry, at an angle behind the chairman’s nameplate, listens to criticisms during the Public Comments portion of the meeting. Below, former Fork District Supervisor Vickey Cook calls for Henry to resign from her former county position after recounting critical issues she faced as a supervisor.

When censure Item J.5 was reached, North River District Supervisor Richard Jamieson read the proposed censure resolution statement into the meeting record.

Included in that Henry Censure Resolution were the following passages:

“WHEREAS, on August 18, 2026, during a regular meeting of the Warren County Board of Supervisors, Supervisor Hugh B. Henry, during his board report, read aloud profane language attributed to a named citizen seated in the audience, and publicly identified that citizen as its source; and

“WHEREAS, Supervisor Henry then made remarks to that citizen, reasonably perceived as a threat, inviting him to meet in the parking lot after adjournment; and … WHEREAS, Supervisor Henry has since been charged with misdemeanor assault and battery in Warren County General District Court arising from this incident, a matter currently before the court; and

“WHEREAS, this Board’s responsibility to address the conduct of its own members is independent of, and does not depend upon, the outcome of that criminal proceeding; and …

” WHEREAS, a citizen who criticizes a Supervisor — however crudely or intemperately — retains the full protection to which such speech is entitled, and no such criticism justifies a response involving intimidation, or physical force;

“NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Warren County Board of Supervisors formally censures Supervisor Hugh B. Henry for: (1) issuing remarks reasonably perceived as a threat to a named citizen from the dais; and (2) approaching and physically assaulting that citizen in the parking lot following the meeting; and

“BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this censure reflects the Board’s own independent judgment on the conduct described above, based on the facts as documented, and is not contingent upon the outcome of any criminal proceeding arising from the same events; …”

It might be noted that a WCSO deputy on the scene told this reporter that the citizen pushed to the ground by Henry as their verbal interaction escalated had declined to file an assault complaint against Henry at the time of the incident. Two days later, that citizen changed his mind, as noted above in the Censure Resolution, leading to the filing of “misdemeanor assault and battery in Warren County General District Court.”

Hugh Henry is on the far left in a white shirt with a deputy post-incident with a citizen identified as Jay Newell. Newell is on the far right of the photo, in a dark red shirt, with two other deputies.

So, stay tuned, local political drama fans, as that case moves forward in the judicial arena.

Other Business and Work Session Topics

Near the meeting’s opening, the board also got an update report on VDOT (Va. Dept. of Transportation) projects around the county.

In addition to the financial matters dealt with under the “New Business” part of the agenda mentioned above, the board had a five-item Consent Agenda, with one item, I.5, pulled for further discussion.

1. Consent Agenda

I.1. Citizen Re-Appointment to the Warren County Board of Building Code Appeals

I.2. Contract Renewal – United Bank – Alisa Scott, Finance Director, September 1, 2026

I.3. Motorola Radio Service Agreement and Systems Upgrade Agreement – Crystal Cline, Sheriff

I.4. Approval of Grant Application – Virginia Business Ready Site Program

I.5. Approval of Job Description and Grade Placement — Destination Development Manager

After discussion on the timing of hiring a “Destination Development Manager”, it along with the other four items were approved to move forward. One recurring topic in hiring for new or existing positions was interaction with the town government to work toward common goals moving forward.

The WC Board of Supervisors prepares for multi-faceted meeting to kick September schedule off in front of light crowd of citizens.

Tuesday’s meeting opened with a noon Closed Session. The motion into Closed Session indicated, at least in part, the above-cited interaction with the Town of Front Royal in moving forward jointly on economic development and tourism promotion:

Motion to be Made Going into Closed Meeting

“I move that the Board enter into a closed meeting under Section 2.2- 3711(A)(5) for the discussion concerning a prospective business or industry or expansion of an existing business or industry where no previous announcement has been made of the business’ or industry’s interest in locating or expanding its facilities in the community. The discussion being Economic Development Incentives.

“I further move that the Board enter into a closed meeting under Section 2.2-3711(A)(8) for the purpose of the provision of legal advice regarding specific legal matters requiring such advice. The subject matter is the Resolution of the Town of Front Royal regarding the 2018 Amendment to the 1999 VSA.”

An online search indicated this about that 1999 VSA:

“The 1999 Voluntary Settlement Agreement (VSA) is a binding legal accord finalized on December 13, 1999, by the Circuit Court of Warren County to settle long-standing annexation and service disputes between the Town of Front Royal and Warren County.

“Core Elements of the 1999 VSA Route 522 Corridor Area: Designated a specific commercial and industrial growth zone outside town limits where development would directly impact municipal infrastructure.Utility Provision: Established the Town of Front Royal as the exclusive municipal provider of water and sewer services within the designated Route 522 Corridor.”

1. Work Session

Following its closed (noon) and regular (1 p.m.) convened meetings, the County’s elected officials and staff adjourned briefly at 3:08 p.m. before convening a work session. The work session topics were:

1. County Administrator Search Kickoff
2. Discussion – HR Handbook Personnel Policy Updates
3. Discussion — Reclassification of Paralegal Position
4. Discussion – Commissioner of Revenue Upcoming Timelines

Perhaps of most interest was the status of the search for a new County Administrator. That search has been underway for some time, dating back to mid-2025, if not a few months earlier. Deputy County Administrator Jane Meadows is currently holding down the job on an interim basis. Board discussion of the search has indicated that Meadows does not want the job permanently.

Tuesday’s work session opened at 3:15 p.m. with Anne Lewis, Senior Manager of Raftelis, which has most recently taken over conducting the County Administrator search, discussing the dynamics of the recruitment and selection process with the board. It was noted that candidates for such positions will want details on the status of the county government they are considering applying for the lead administrative role in.

Don’t care what the sign says; that is not County Attorney Jason Ham. Rather, to the right of the photo, to the left of Interim County Administrator Jane Meadows, is Anne Lewis, Senior Manager of the Raftelis team that has taken over the process of recruiting a permanent County Administrator after a year of failed efforts. Below, there was an essentially empty room for the work session.

And we will see how that process evolves in the coming weeks and months.

For additional detail, see the County video below.