Local military veterans advocate Skip Rogers edges out vet Joe McFadden for next year of McFadden’s vacated(?) council seat – But is that the story’s end?

After over an hour-and-40-minutes in Executive/Closed session Tuesday evening, October 11, including interviews of the final two of three applicants granted interviews, to fill the vacant(?) council seat of Joseph McFadden, by a 3-2 vote Skip Rogers edged McFadden out to fill just over a year of the remaining two years of that four-year term. A Special Election has been called for November 2023 to allow voters to determine the final year’s occupant of that seat. The appointment came as a 45-day time limit to make it loomed on Thursday.

Both Vice-Mayor Lori Cockrell and Councilwoman Amber Morris prefaced their votes against Rogers’ appointment by explaining their votes were not a reflection against Rogers’ qualifications. Rather, both indicated a belief there remained questions about whether McFadden’s seat was actually vacant in the wake of his emotional August 8th verbal resignation in the wake of lengthy closed session and 4-3 split-vote termination of Town Manager Steven Hicks that evening. And with those legal questions looming, Cockrell and Morris expressed a preference that the town citizens’ choice to fill that seat should continue to be respected. Four days after his verbal resignation McFadden rescinded it in writing prior to any formal action on his resignation by council.

Including two interviews, council was behind closed doors for an hour-and-40 minutes before emerging to appoint Skip Rogers by a 3-2 margin to fill Joe McFadden’s seat for a year-plus. Vice-Mayor Lori Cockrell and Amber Morris supported returning McFadden to his controversially ‘vacant’ seat.

McFadden was the first of two interviewees Tuesday night, spending 37 minutes behind the closed doors of the Front Royal Town Hall second floor meeting room with his recent colleagues before exiting and leaving the building. The second applicant interviewed Tuesday was Todd Dineen. Rogers was interviewed at a Special Meeting called for noon, Saturday, October 1st, to accommodate pre-scheduled family travel plans that took him across the country the past two weeks.

Queried as he awaited his turn with council behind closed doors, Dineen said he had spent a quarter century in the technology industry primarily in sales and engineering, while also negotiating contracts. Dineen described himself as an “empty nester” with one daughter in college and two adult sons, one in the Army, the other based in California as a designer in the aerospace industry with Space Ex. He relocated to Front Royal from Haymarket six months ago, after tiring of seeing Haymarket evolve from a small-town ambiance into something larger. – And with the nebulous and fluid 40-to-60 residential unit Murphy’s building proposal still on the Town’s table for downtown redevelopment, Dineen may have arrived here just in time to witness a Haymarket replay!

New councilman’s background

Asked about his application for the council seat prior to his October 1 interview at Town Hall, Rogers provided Royal Examiner with copies of his resume and cover letter. His cover letter notes that he has been “a business owner within the town since 2009, a resident within our Historic District since 2013”.

Following two years of active duty service in the U.S. Army as a Military Police-Dog Handler between 1968-70, Rogers was in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1970-74, leading to his work in support of disabled and economically struggling veterans.

Skip Rogers photo from his social media page; below, following the 3-2 vote to appoint Rogers, council convened to work session to hear staff review several pending actions including the status and cost of the backup water line into the north corridor; status of the Comprehensive Plan review and update that will guide the town’s future development into the next quarter century; the future of FREDA; among other topics including several pending Special Use Permit applications.

From his resume: “Skip has over 45 years of business leadership and professional services consulting experience that includes assisting large and small companies expand their business base and government contract portfolio. He is an expert in the areas of small business management and strategic planning. Skip is a Service-Disabled Veteran and Founder/CEO of Able Forces Professional Services (AFPS) and Founder/Executive Director of Able Forces Foundation (AFF).

“AFF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit established in 2009 to provide employment and immediate financial assistance to active duty military and veterans in financial crisis.

“AFPS, a TS (Top Secret)-cleared government contracting small business was established in 2005, and since 2009 exclusively employed wounded, ill, and injured veterans on primarily defense and military contracts.  Prior to closing in January 2022, AFPS employed 40 disabled workers (39 veterans) supporting defense contacts in 7 states not including Virginia. Since 2009, AFPS employed over 60 service-disabled veterans, virtually all supporting classified contracts.”

Rogers and his wife of 47 years, Kathy, have two daughters and four grandchildren. He is a longtime member of the American Legion and member of Post 53 in Front Royal. He has also recently served on the Warren County Sheriff’s Office citizen liaison group the Community Action Committee (CAC).

McFadden reacts to another council split decision

As observers of the town government know, like Rogers, McFadden is a veteran with local business interests. He currently owns and operates a physical fitness center here. We asked him about his service and council’s majority decision last night. He noted his original military service in the Marines, with time in South America and Iraq in 2005. After an 11-year break, McFadden joined and currently serves in the Army National Guard.

“I think Skip’s a great guy and will do well. In fact, he’s an old neighbor who used to live down the street from me. Still, it muddies the water not to take the time to get an Attorney General’s opinion on my resignation and its status,” McFadden said of the questions remaining about the legality of how his verbal resignation and written withdrawal of it was handled by council and the mayor.

Of elected service, McFadden added, “It is a call to service, a call to action – you don’t always enjoy it but you serve.”

The once, and future Councilman Joseph McFadden?

And still bothered by his abrupt and immediately rethought withdrawal from that service, McFadden told us that if as anticipated, current Vice-Mayor Lori Cockrell is elected mayor as the only mayoral candidate on this November’s ballot, he will apply to fill her then vacant council seat for the two-year balance of that unexpired term.

Might it end up that McFadden and Rogers could once again become neighbors, this time on the council dais at the Warren County Government Center and around Town Hall meeting room tables?

Stay tuned, sports fans.

In the town video, see the council Special Meeting appointment discussion and vote, and staff work session summaries of several key projects, including an update on the Town Comprehensive Plan review; pending ordinance amendments including residential snow and ice removal on Town right of ways in front of those properties; Special Use Permitting requests; the future and funding of FREDA; and Redundant North Corridor Water Line financing variables – hint on the latter, it cost A LOT of money delaying action for a number of years, reducing Town reserve funds to six budgetary months, just three months above their code-mandated three-month minimum:

Click here to watch the meeting.