One agenda item County Special Meeting turns political & confrontational

For a short, one-agenda item meeting called to discuss and vote on appointment of legal representation for the County Supervisors against the Removal Petition filed with the Circuit Court on October 18, Friday morning’s (October 25) Special Meeting of the Warren County Board of Supervisors was “Must See Royal Examiner TV”.

But let’s set the groundwork first and give some time for the popcorn, pizza, and/or wings to arrive for the show.

A fairly large public attendance was present for the 10 a.m. meeting’s convening – and a lot was about to happen in less than 15 minutes.

The public, many involved in the Removal Petition against the Warren Supervisors, gathered to take in the Board’s move on legal representation against that petition. Royal Examiner Photos by Roger Bianchini. Video by Mark Williams, Royal Examiner.

Following Chairman Dan Murray’s now traditional call for a moment of silent prayer for healing in the community in the wake of the now $21.3 million EDA financial scandal that has gained statewide and occasionally national notoriety, and the Pledge of Allegiance to the Nation and its Laws, the meeting got right down to its one order of business.

Without board discussion, Tony Carter took the floor to read a motion citing the Virginia Public Procurement Act as exempting putting the legal representation out to bid per any “prior County policies with respect to such contracts.”

The motion passed 5-0.

Carter then read motions for that representation “by the County Attorney and James Cornwell” for the other four supervisors, who each in turn abstained from voting on the appointment for representation of them as individual supervisors.

Linda Glavis then returned the favor for Carter, who abstained on the vote for his representation, which also passed 4-0.

The supervisors prepare to defend themselves against Removal Petition.

Jason Ham of the Litten Sipe Law Firm has been appearing as County Attorney at meetings since the September 13^th to 15^th departure of Dan Whitten for Prince George County. Ham later verified that Cornwell was with the Litten Sipe firm.

Then the fun began.

The meeting’s slated business taken care of, Shenandoah District Supervisor Tom Sayre asked for the floor. Despite some hesitancy from the chair, Sayre was given that floor from which he launched into a prepared statement citing his past questioning of EDA officials about their Workforce Housing Project and consequent civil defamation legal battles with former EDA Executive Director Jennifer McDonald.

But Sayre may have flirted with at least breaking tradition or procedural rules removing politics from the actual action of public service, by turning his statement in defense of his past actions regarding the EDA into a campaign speech by calling out his Shenandoah District opponent Walter Mabe.

“I don’t know where my opponent was, but I and a few others were in the trenches before any solid evidence had been produced of this extreme breach of EDA and law enforcement trust,” Sayre stated.

Kris Nelson, foreground, reacts to Tom Sayre’s first attack on his political opponent Walter Mabe – Mabe, I didn’t see him on the agenda. Woman with Nelson was later identified as Happy Creek Main Petition gatherer Maureen Schofield.

At that point a woman in the audience seated in the center of a near front row began laughing out loud. She later identified herself as Kris Nelson, main Removal Petition gatherer for Sayre’s Shenandoah District. Undeterred, Sayre continued as silence returned to the point where he reintroduced his political opponent into his statement.

“My record as a board of supervisor will continue to remain clean. As a supervisor I will continue to be a part, unlike my opponent who has only recently appeared at board meetings, and who has never cast a vote in a past election,” Sayre continued at which point several people interrupted from the audience.

It appeared that among those, leading social media County critic Kristie Atwood attempted to call a Point of Order objection on the conduct of the meeting as several people continued to yell down Sayre’s now campaign-toned presentation.

“There will be no yelling out,” Chairman Murray cautioned the public present.

Social media’s ‘Mad Mother’ tries to make a Point of Order objection to direction of meeting.

Murray then noted the political turn Sayre’s statement had taken and suggested to the Shenandoah District Supervisor that he “wrap up where you’re at this moment” which Sayre did, ending with a “Thank you very much” that failed to garner a “You’re welcome” from anyone present.

Atwood then attempted to call another “Point of Order” from the public seating area which led to a strong admonishment from the Chair, likely as Points of Order by Roberts’ Rules of Order under which local boards generally conduct their meetings, appear to allow such procedural objections to be made only by “a member” of the convened body.

The relevant portion of “Section 23 – Point of Order” reads, “When a member thinks that the rules of the assembly are being violated, he can make a Point of Order (or ‘raise a question of order,’ as it is sometimes expressed), thereby calling upon the chair for a ruling and an enforcement of the regular rules.”

Obviously that was Murray’s understanding as he said, “If I have to bang the gavel one more time I’m going to ask the Sheriff’s (deputy) to escort you out. Calling out from within, the board will not tolerate personal attacks from anyone,” Murray said as one person in the audience chimed in, “We’re aware of that,” as Murray continued, “or any other participants in the proceedings.”

Murray’s admonishment was not just to the crowd, but as he later verified his just silenced fellow supervisor who stirred the crowd up with the campaign turn of his non-agenda presentation.

As continued calls came from the crowd, Carter called a motion for adjournment.

“We are adjourned,” Murray responded, banging his gavel a last time, not for the removal of a disruptive citizen, but with the meeting’s business concluded, of all citizens, including the board members – if not in the permanent manner the Recall Petitioners envision.

Board Chairman Dan Murray eventually put the gavel down on the non-agenda direction Tom Sayre took the meeting in, antagonizing Walter Mabe supporters in the audience into a yelling match with the chair.

“We don’t get to talk?” one person asked incredulously – though a quick glance at the brief one-page Special Meeting Agenda, copies of which lay by the entrance door, indicated no Public Comments section such as are included twice during regular bi-monthly board meetings.

The crowd continued to yell at the departing board, one loud, “You wonder why you’re recalled,” directed their way; followed by, “You just gave us a lot of material for Monday” that latter comment a reference to the first court hearing on the Removal Petition. Petitioners are seeking immediate removal of the entire County Board even before the Show Cause Hearing is resolved, as it is unlikely to be Monday.

Both the initial Removal Petition Show Cause Hearing and a slew of defense motions to quash the misdemeanor misfeasance and nonfeasance indictments against County (and EDA) officials at the base of the Removal Petition are on the Warren County Circuit Court Docket Monday, October 28.

So hopefully the snacks are in tow and you’re ready to settle in to watch it all transpire in real time in this Royal Examiner video:

County Supervisors removal petition filed with 941 signatures