County Supervisors Fill 3 Vacancies on the FR/WC EDA Board of Directors

At its Special Meeting on Tuesday, October 27, the Warren County Board of Supervisors appointed three interviewed citizens to fill vacancies on the Front Royal/Warren County Economic Development Authority (EDA, FR/WC EDA, WC EDA) Board of Directors. The Board made these appointments after a closed session to interview applicants for the positions. Each interview was limited to 30 minutes. All three interviews lasted in the half-hour time range.

The Special Meeting was convened at 5 p.m. and immediately entered into Closed Session on a motion by Hugh Henry, seconded by John Stanmeyer.

The WC supervisors head into Closed Session for 3 interviews with EDA Board applicants. Below, behind that closed door. Royal Examiner Photos: Roger Bianchini

The final interview of Kevin Cuddeback, following those of Darcy Ostrander-Damon and Sterling Whitehead, ended at 6:27 p.m., and the supervisors emerged from behind closed doors at 6:35 p.m. The appointment motions out of closed session read as follows under the lone Open Meeting Agenda Item “New Business”:

“I move that the Warren County Board of Supervisors appoint Darcy Ostrander-Damon to the Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority for the remainder of the 4-year term expiring on February 28, 2029,” and:

“I move that the Warren County Board of Supervisors appoint Sterling Whitehead and Kevin Cuddeback to the Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority for the remainder of the 4-year terms expiring on February 28th, 2030.”

The Ostrander-Damon and Whitehouse appointment motions both passed 5-0. The Cuddeback motion passed 4-0, with Supervisor Jamieson abstaining. When asked later about his Cuddeback abstention, Jamieson declined to comment.

The supervisors’ open meeting seats remained empty for just over an hour and a half after the 5 p.m. start. Below, the citizen seating was also empty, except for applicant Darcy Ostrander-Damon, seated in the first row, awaiting her call into the closed meeting room to begin the interview process. Further down, the board returns to its open-meeting seating at 6:35 p.m.

The three appointments are designed to bring the current EDA Board of Directors number up towards its full 7-member limit. The new appointees will join existing members, Chairman Rob MacDougall and members Bruce Townshend, Robert Cullers, and James Fox. MacDougall and Townshend’s terms end in February 2027 and are not expected to be renewed at this time. Cullers is also expected to leave early from his term that expires in February 2029.

Sadly, one existing vacancy was due to the death of board member Dave McDermott. As we understand it, he died a little over a year after his appointment in June of 2024.

A staff summary of the EDA Board appointment process noted that:

“The mission of the Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority (FRWC EDA) is to strengthen the commercial tax base and employment/workforce landscape within Front Royal and Warren County. Coordination with local existing businesses, the Warren County Board of Supervisors, Warren County staff, the Town of Front Royal, and various Regional and Statewide agencies is integral to achieving this objective. The Board consists of seven (7) members with staggered four-year terms. The FRWC EDA Board of Directors meet the fourth Friday of each month at 8:00 a.m. at the Warren County Government Center,” with the added note that the supervisors desired “to conduct interviews of potential candidates.”

After the closed meeting, the full board prepared to vote on appointing the 3 EDA Board applicants, all of whom the board approved without a dissenting vote, with just one abstention.

Could this move toward these appointments signal an anticipated shift toward EDA actions to “strengthen the commercial tax base and employment/workforce landscape within Front Royal and Warren County”?

Stay tuned, municipal government drama fans, for news on coming EDA business fronts.