Good Bye, Warren County; Good Bye EDA controversy – Whitten moves on

Dan Whitten, right, and County Administrator Doug Stanley on the job at a county supervisors meeting – Royal Examiner File Photo/Roger Bianchini

A hint was dropped at Tuesday night’s joint Town-County meeting on the EDA about County and EDA Attorney Dan Whitten’s pending availability to serve as a member of the newly-formed EDA Reform Committee. That hint came from Shenandoah District Supervisor Tom Sayre’s comment that Whitten wouldn’t be serving on the seven-member committee despite his inclusion and approval as the county attorney.

Reached for comment on Sayre’s allusion to his unavailability, Whitten confirmed that he had taken a job as County Attorney for Prince George County, Virginia. He said a press release would be forthcoming Wednesday morning, adding that the only ones who knew of his acceptance of the Prince George County job were his bosses, the county supervisors. This reporter agreed to sit on the news overnight as a negotiating tool for a follow-up interview.

While that negotiation is still being hashed out – you sure, no camera, Dan – we can now verify Whitten’s pending move to the county attorney’s role in Prince George County. Reached by phone Wednesday morning Whitten confirmed he will realize a $13,486 salary increase with the move. He is taking his new job at a salary of $117,300, compared to the $103,486 he makes here.
According to the press release Whitten’s last day on the job in Warren County will be September 13, 2019; he will begin his new job in Prince George County three days later on September 16.

With the move Whitten leaves behind the EDA financial scandal that has immersed him as both County and EDA Attorney since the March 26 filing of the EDA civil suit naming nine human and corporate “people” defendants seeking the return of as much as $20 million in allegedly misdirected or embezzled EDA assets.

To varying degrees the media, public and social media have questioned whether “scope limitations” imposed by county and EDA officials described by the contracted investigative public accounting firm Cherry Bekaert might indicate an investigation that was “channeled” toward certain financial irregularities and away from others.

An indicator of the public mood surrounding, not only the EDA civil and criminal actions, but his role as attorney for the primary governmental and quasi-governmental involved entities was illustrated by a question from Town Councilman Chris Holloway and the public reaction to it at last night’s joint Town-County meeting.

“Who do you represent tonight, the EDA or Warren County?” Holloway asked, creating the only public outburst of the meeting as a low murmur of approval of the question and applause ensued.

To left, Whitten and Stanley prepare for Tuesday evening’s joint Supervisors-Town Council meeting on the EDA’s future. At right Town Attorney Doug Napier and Town Manager Joe Waltz do the same. Royal Examiner Photos/Roger Bianchini

Whitten’s answer of “both” explaining no direct conflict of interest in answering questions about various legal dynamics of the EDA and County situations drew no public reaction.

In the press release received by the media at 11:06 a.m., Wednesday morning, August 14, Whitten expresses gratitude for his professional and personal experience in Warren County:
“Since starting my employment with Warren County on February 16, 2010, I have thoroughly enjoyed working for Warren County. I would like to thank the Board of Supervisors for offering me the opportunity to serve as the Warren County Attorney for the past three years. I will treasure the friendships that I have made with numerous Warren County employees and officials over the last nine years,” he stated in the release.

From left, Supervisors Tom Sayre and Archie Fox put their heads together as Linda Glavis whispers to Board Chair Dan Murray prior to last night’s joint meeting. Murray had kind words for Whitten’s grace under fire on the job in Warren County.

County Board of Supervisors Chairman Dan Murray added, “I am sorry to lose Dan as his knowledge and experience will be hard to replace. I appreciate how he has handled many contentious situations with grace, patience and respect. I consider him to be a friend and he will be sorely missed. He has been an asset to the County and the agencies he supports.”

Whitten did an internship at the State Attorney General’s Office while in law school. He also interned in Richmond immediately after his 2009 graduation from William and Mary Law School. Whitten received his Undergraduate Degree with a major in American Politics from the University of Virginia. He arrived as assistant county attorney to Blair Mitchell here in 2010 and took over as Warren County Attorney in September 2016 upon Mitchell’s retirement.