Carter questions board majority’s decision to delay permanent administrator’s hiring into 2022

Discussion of the last open session agenda item of the Warren County Board of Supervisors December 8 meeting reflected a rift in perspectives on the conduct of county business, not only currently, but as much as a-year-and-a-half into the future. The topic – development of a Strategic Visioning Action Plan in the wake of a recent two-day weekend board “visioning” strategy session.

Long-time Happy Creek Supervisor Tony Carter questioned the wisdom of the board majority, spearheaded by a trio of first-term supervisors’, preference to slowball the hiring of a permanent replacement for forced-out, 20-year County Administrator Doug Stanley pending stabilization of the remaining County staff and department head situations, as well as dealing with existing staff “morale problems”.

Doug Stanley, right, greets Ed Daley and leads him into the 2-1/2 hour July 8 closed session finalizing Stanley’s ‘involuntary separation agreement’ from the job he had held for 20 years, as well Daley’s hiring as of Aug. 3 as interim county administrator. Royal Examiner Photos by Roger Bianchini – Royal Examiner Video by Mark Williams

That direction would put the hiring of a permanent county administrator to replace Interim County Administrator Ed Daley into early to mid-2022, depending on how the recruitment and interview process proceeds. Carter said that the initial perception was that following Daley taking the interim administrator’s position effective August 3, that a replacement would likely be named by November – “That changed” the Happy Creek supervisor observed of the now-stated strategy.

Supervisors Delores Oates and Cheryl Cullers, both supporters of the altered strategy delaying the permanent replacement hire, noted that Carter had missed the weekend visioning sessions that solidified the idea of departmental stabilization in front of advertising for and hiring a new county administrator. Carter countered that many invited staff had also missed the sessions which were called on fairly short notice.

While Carter termed Daley’s performance “adequate” in the either 28 or 35-hour weekly allotments of compensated time on the job, the board majority has seen Daley as an experienced – retired from 35 years in the municipal/city management field – and steadying hand in dealing with its issues of department head turnover and any related or subsequent staffing issues.

Delores Oates, above socially distanced at the requisitioned press table, and Tony Carter, below, weren’t seeing eye to eye on staff and departmental strategies that would delay the hiring of a permanent county administrator into 2022. It appears Oates stance in support of first dealing with other staffing issues remains the majority perspective.

Oates expressed the majority opinion in stating the belief the County’s position in recruiting and signing a qualified and desirable permanent county administrator would be strengthened by having a stabilized county governmental apparatus in place before that recruitment process begins.

In the end, the board’s other long-term member, Fork District’s Archie Fox, sided with Oates, Vice-Chair Cullers, and Chairman Mabe in voting to table action, including Carter’s idea of initiating a staff opinion survey in which anonymity could be maintained, until January 22, 2021.

Pre-Strategic Vision squabbling, the board was relatively united in renewing the Rockland, South River and Limeton Agricultural and Forestal Districts; acceptance of an Open Space Conservation Deed of Gift Easement from Adam and Shawn Huddleston; funding across the board radio communications upgrades for County Emergency Services and Sheriff’s Office (see related story); approval of the newly established Shannon Woods Sanitary District Advisory Committee bylaws; and approval of its 2021 meeting and work session schedule.

However, division did occur over $5,000 of a $30,000 funding request for a Lord Fairfax Community College Career Training/Enhancement program targeting county residents who have lost jobs during the 2020 COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic and governmental mitigation guidelines on social distancing and numbers permitted in enclosed spaces. Vice-Chair Cullers raised the question of the necessity of financially supporting both the program and its marketing.

Cheryl Cullers questioned the necessity of the county funding $5,000 in marketing costs on top of a $25,000 contribution to LFCC’s Career Training Program targeting citizens who have lost employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic business restrictions. While Archie Fox sided with her, the full $30,000 funding request was approved by a 3-2 vote.

Interim County Administrator Daley noted the necessity of getting the message out to COVID-impacted members of the public that the program was available. But he added that some involved counties had approved the marketing funding request, some had not – the decision was the board’s to make.

Supervisor Carter suggested moving forward as recommended with the marketing fee included. His motion to provide the full $30,000 program funding to LFCC, seconded by Oates, passed 3-2 with Fox joining Cullers in opposing the marketing portion of the request.

See all these discussions, subsequent votes, as well as the chairman, board, interim administrator, and EDA reports in these Royal Examiner video: