An interesting first take on new county supervisors’ majority: New officers, added financial scrutiny, & approached to create a citizen militia

A re-tooled Warren County Board of Supervisors met Tuesday morning with three new members, all attending their first meeting as elected officials, rather than citizen observers. And by unanimous 5-0 votes two of those members, Walter Mabe and Cheryl Cullers were elected chairman and vice chair, respectively.

Mabe was nominated for chairman by Cullers with Archie Fox seconding. There were no other nominations prior to the unanimous vote installing Mabe as chair. Delores Oates then nominated Cullers for the vice chairman’s spot, with Mabe seconding. Again, there were no opposing nominations.

The newly seated board prepares to elect officers. Royal Examiner Photos and video by Mark Williams

Following reports from Virginia Department of Transportation’s Ed Carter, Warren County Public School’s Interim Superintendent Melody Sheppard, and Town Community Development Director Felicia Hart on community marketing, transportation and tourism initiatives, it soon became evident it was not business as usual for the board’s new majority.

Tightened purse strings
First, Economic Development Authority (EDA) Board Chairman Ed Daley re-presented a request that the Supervisors authorize appropriation of $36,827.17 to cover legal expenses of current and past EDA board members indicted on misdemeanor misfeasance and nonfeasance charges, as has been done for supervisors similarly charged. Those indictments brought by the EDA Special Grand Jury – related to lapses in oversight of the former EDA executive director at the center of the $21.3 million EDA financial scandal – were all later dismissed as unintentional acts not defined as criminal by Virginia legal codes.

EDA Board Chairman Ed Daley asks the supervisors for legal fee help – the request was tabled to a Jan. 14 work session for discussion

South River Supervisor Cullers suggested taking the matter to a work session prior to a board vote. Cullers told Daley her “reluctance” to proceed was not aimed at him or the EDA, but was just an effort to exercise greater caution in authorizing the expenditure of taxpayer funds. On a motion by Oates, seconded by Cullers, the board unanimously tabled a vote on the EDA request to the January 21st meeting.

The work session discussion, it was later established, will occur next Tuesday, January 14. During subsequent approval of the board’s 2020 meeting schedule, on a motion by Oates, also seconded by Cullers, the supervisors unanimously agree to add a 7 p.m. work session on the second Tuesday of the month for the coming year. The board meets at 9 a.m. on the first Tuesday of the month and at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday.

The added evening session was explained as offering an additional opportunity for the public to interact on their concerns with the board.

Then Cullers pulled a Resolution approving the County’s portion of VDOT’s Revenue Sharing Program on seven listed projects totaling over $3.6 million from the Consent Agenda of what is generally considered routine business. Culler said she would like a chance to review the proposed expenditures before authorizing that amount of taxpayer funds to be spent.

Board Vice-Chair Cheryl Cullers set a tone of information gathering before expenditures for the newly seated supervisors.

County Administrator Doug Stanley explained that the road projects had already been approved by the previous board for inclusion in the coming VDOT budget cycle, and that VDOT required the County to commit to its share of the dollar-for-dollar revenue sharing program to remain eligible for the funding in this budget cycle.

“I don’t want to lose the opportunity to get the (state) revenue, but I do want to do due diligence,” Cullers explained of her continued reluctance to authorize taxpayer supported funding without adequate background in her first week as a supervisor.

With the EDA financial scandal fresh in the public mind, financial due diligence and oversight played heavily into the county’s 2019 electoral campaign.

With the VDOT representatives departed following Ed Carter’s report, Happy Creek District Supervisor Tony Carter asked the county administrator if there was a time issue in approval of the County funding match.

“I believe we’re okay,” Stanley replied of not losing eligibility in this year’s VDOT Revenue Sharing Program. On a motion by Oates, seconded by Fox, discussion of the road improvement funding for Cauthorn Mill Road, Old Oak Lane Phases 4 and 5, Young’s Drive Phase 2, Rockland Road grade-separated crossing, Grove Farm Road, and Blue Valley Road Phase 1 was tabled to the January 14 work session.

Public time
There was no resolution to potential changes in the public presentations portion of future meetings that would appear to lengthen the time period allotted prior to convening public hearings, traditionally begun a half hour into the meeting. Currently the early public input is limited to 20 minutes. Mabe suggested raising that to 45 minutes or even an hour. A public show of hands requested by Chairman Mabe indicated a distinct preference to not change the public presentations format.

And speak of the devil, as the meeting reached its second public input session, the 60-minute limit one prior to adjourning to closed session things took a turn in tone and content. First, board critic Paul Gabbert rose to commend the new board majority on their conduct of the meeting; and to reiterate his call that Stanley’s contract as county administrator not be renewed.

County Administrator Doug Stanley remains in the cross hairs for some citizens

Gabbert then added that what the board needs is a clean sweep, suggesting that incumbents Fox and Carter step down. Gabbert’s wife Bonnie was the driving force behind the Removal Petition filed against the sitting board of supervisors last October. An absence of due diligent financial oversight of the former EDA executive director and the EDA board appointed to provide that direct oversight remains at the center of the Removal Petition, which still hangs over Fox and Carter’s heads.

County militia?
Perhaps most interestingly during the free-ranging public comments, Sam Haun, accompanied by a Second Amendment advocate companion, rose to submit a resolution for the board’s consideration. That resolution seeks “PROMOTING THE ORDER OF MILITIA WITHIN WARREN COUNTY …”

Haun asserted that it is a Constitutional right for citizens “to have a militia”. He acknowledged, however, that the term “militia” has a negative perception related to domestic terrorism as in the case of the Oklahoma City bombing of a federal building or church shootings.

However, Haun said his group’s intention is to “help the community – we wanted to have trained personnel that would be there to help with mass casualty events were that to happen. It would kind of be an auxiliary force for law enforcement, things of that nature …

Sheriff Mark Butler, above, engaged in dialogue with citizen militia advocate Sam Haun, below right, as well as the board on the idea of a county citizen militia.

Sam Haun and friend petition the board for a resolution in support of an armed citizen militia under county control.

“A real Constitutional militia is a right we have as citizens. It was one of our God-given rights when you look at it in the Constitution, as well as the State Constitution,” Haun told the Warren supervisors.

He added that he had tried to contact the Warren Sheriff’s Department in recent months “and heard nothing but crickets”.

An interested observer was newly-installed Warren County Sheriff Mark Butler, on the job into his seventh day. As to Haun’s suggestion of gun safety training programs being made more readily available, Butler said he has such plans on the table.

“We’re looking to actually make our gun holders more safe – that’s what we’re looking to do. We’re not looking to take away rights, but we will give the support to make it safer.”

However, of the notion of an armed private citizen’s auxiliary to law enforcement’s peacekeeping function, Butler was more cautious. He suggested that any such contemplated group would have to be under the direct supervision of law enforcement and that participants would have to be heavily vetted and background checked to assure there were no hidden agendas.

Board Chairman Walt Mabe told 2nd Amendment militia advocates ‘We’re not there yet’ as to authorizing a citizen militia.

Board Chairman Mabe also expressed concern with the concept. Noting he has military service in his background, Mabe said, “I would want to know who’s running it; how it’s run; who’s training people; how are they being trained; what certificates do they carry? … I am super concerned about the people you’re going to be representing as a militia.”

While falling short of saying he was unalterably opposed to the idea, Mabe added, “But there’s a lot of controls that would have to be put in place. And frankly sitting here, we’re not there yet.”

It appeared from the County side that there was agreement, and Haun did not appear to disagree, that a great deal of further discussion and vetting would be required before the Warren Board of

Supervisors would be ready to consider such a resolution as Haun brought to them on January 7.

See that discussion and the rest of the new county board’s first public day in office in the exclusive Royal Examiner videos:

It was a very long meeting and we have edited the video into several parts. In part 1, we include:

Election of Officers
1. Chairman
2. Vice Chairman
C. Adoption of Agenda – Additions or Deletions
D. Agenda Public Presentations Comment Period (20-Minute Time Limit)
Public Presentation time is intended as an opportunity for the public to give input on relevant issues and not intended as a question and answer period
E. Report – Virginia Department of Transportation – Ed Carter
F. Report – Warren County Public Schools – Melody Sheppard
G. Report – Tourism in Front Royal/Warren County – Felicia Hart
H. Reports – Board Members and County Administrator, County Attorney

Part 2 of the video includes these agenda items:

UNFINISHED BUSINESS
I. Request – Reimbursement of Legal Fees and Expenses for the Board of Directors of the Economic Development Authority – Edwin Daley
NEW BUSINESS
J. Consent Agenda
1. Adoption of Resolution of Support for Equal Taxing Authority for Virginia Counties – Doug Stanley
2. Adoption of Resolution Regarding the Virginia Department of Transportation Revenue Sharing Program – Doug Stanley
3. Approval of Contract with Centric Business Systems for Ricoh Copiers – Doug Stanley
4. Authorization to Advertise for Public Hearing – Conditional Use Permit 2019-11-01, Stephen J. Aaron, Jr., for a Short-Term Tourist Rental – Matt Wendling
5. Authorization to Advertise for Public Hearing – Lease of County-Owned Property located at 136 Hillidge Street – Brandy Rosser
AGENDA
Board of Supervisors Meeting
Warren County Board of Supervisors Page 2
January 7, 2020
6. Coyote Bounties – Animal Control ($50.00 Each)
• Donald Bowers (5)
• Michael Lee Licklider (1)
• Amos Lee Mitchell (1)
• Trevor Walker (1)
K. Request – 2020 Board of Supervisors Meeting Schedule – Doug Stanley
L. Request – 2020 Board of Supervisors Board/Committee Assignments – Doug Stanley
M. Request – Meeting Policy and Procedures and Public Hearing Guidelines – Doug Stanley/Jason Ham
N. General Public Presentations Comment Period (60-Minute Time Limit)
Public Presentation time is intended as an opportunity for the public to give input on relevant issues and not intended as a question and answer period