Behind Closed Doors: Town Council closed sessions run toward EDA financial scandal lengths

Perhaps not surprisingly, after a nearly 3-1/2-hour closed session that opened their Monday, May 10^th work session, the Front Royal Town Council made short work of the three open session agenda items – 1/ a staff briefing on suggested changes to Town policies on the use of the Village Commons public area at the heart of the historic downtown business district (related to one closed session item); 2/ enforcing the Blighted Building, Blighted Properties and Non-conforming lot codes (eventually enforcement may begin at council’s discretion on the process established); and 3/ the routine annual alignment of Town Codes with changes to state Motor Vehicle Laws.

Council prepares for the first of two closed sessions lasting a total of about 4-1/2 hours Monday night, May 10. Royal Examiner Photo by Roger Bianchini

Short work – Because surprise, surprise, after the approximately 18 minutes they spent on those three open session items, council re-convened to closed session at 10:45 p.m. to discuss three more of the eight closed session agenda topics yet covered. Two of those being property moves that Mayor Chris Holloway informed the council at the outset of the meeting nearly four hours earlier, that he would be recusing himself from participation in. Staff estimated the second work session as lasting about an hour, allowing them, council minus the absent Jacob Meza, and the mayor out of Town Hall shortly before midnight.

Among the closed session topics were: a/ discussion, interviews with candidates for “various Boards” appointments, no doubt including the new Town EDA; b/ an unspecified personnel matter; c/ “potential legal liability exposures of the Town regarding its Town-owned Town Commons under sub-section A.8”; d/e/ the aforementioned mayoral recusals from discussion of “disposition of publicly held real property” (as opposed to its imaginary holdings?), specifically as to “the sale or vacation of a Town right of way, being an alley (Carter Street and N. Royal Avenue)” where open discussion could “adversely affect the bargaining position or negotiating strategy” of the Town under Section A.3; f/ legal consultation of unspecified “specific” matters; g/ legal consultation “Regarding claimed or potential financial obligations, whether legal or moral” and briefings by staff or consultants on those matters, “including actual and probable litigation”; and h/ “With respect to an MOA (Memorandum of Agreement), consultation with legal counsel employed or retained by Town Council regarding specific legal matters” again not specified – though a good guess might be the solid waste disposal contract/agreement with the County).

See the brief open session discussions and motions into and out of closed session, in this 23-minute Town video: