Samuels Library Supporter Accuses Some Supervisors of Trying to Establish a ‘Catholic Taliban’ in Warren County

The Tuesday, September 2nd, county board of supervisors meeting began with some detailed staff reports. Those included Public Works Director Mike Berry on the status of County-overseen capital improvement projects at FRR (Front Royal Airport); Fire & Rescue personnel participation in a “Firefighter Challenge” competition presented by Chief Bonzano and Deputy Chief Maiatico;  as well as an “Unfinished Business” consideration of tabled action on a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) application for a Short-term Tourist Rental at 209 Luchase Road in the Happy Creek District presented by applicants Gillian Greenfield and Richard Butcher. Following a summary by County Planner Kelly Wahl and Zoning Administrator Chase Lenz, as well as comments from the applicants, the CUP request was approved by a 4-1 margin, Cook dissenting, on a motion by Stanmeyer, seconded by Jamieson.

County Public Works Director Mike Berry gestures toward graphics describing costs and other variables in upgrades to the County overseen FRR (Front Royal Airport). Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini

Library Conflict Escalation

But with money originally earmarked for the County’s share of public library service funding in Fiscal Year 2026 also on the agenda being approved to be headed elsewhere, Fire & Rescue specifically, on September 2nd the gloves came off and it was bareknuckled Public Comments skirmishing, albeit of a verbal kind, between the Board of Supervisors 4-1 majority and considerably more than 4 supporters of Samuels Public Library.

Several citizens were ejected by Board Chairman “Jay” Butler for verbal challenges about the truth or lack thereof, and by supervisors justifying their stance on the library issue. Several times, Chairman Butler called for silence from the crowd, asserting and reasserting that it was his meeting to control by his previously stated rules. Several citizens present challenged that claim of meeting control, countering that the elected board was there to conduct county business in the best interests of all its citizens, rather than the personal agendas of the elected members.

To our memory, this citizen-board exchange for the first time saw extended comment on the role of religious beliefs and a portion of the 4-person anti-Samuels majority’s ties to what appears to be perceived as a Christian College extremist perspective in its teaching of Catholicism.

In fact, during the second round of Public Comments, Rebecca Althizer (beginning at 2:13:12 linked County video mark) referenced the supervisor majority’s defunding effort that she and other Samuels supporters perceive to be an elected official’s continuation of the 2023 “Clean Up Samuels” effort. That effort, to some degree at the time, self-identified as religiously motivated, unsuccessfully sought to have all LGBTQ material removed from the library.

It was Althizer who is referenced in our headline as bringing the term “Catholic Taliban” into the equation. Her assertion appeared to be that, at least in part on the supervisor’s side, the Samuels Library defunding is the initial effort in a brewing, broader electoral effort to create political and financial control of the county government and its public services. That effort, it would appear, has started with the community’s 226-year-old (dating to 1799), and state library association reigning 2024 Virginia Library of the Year, Samuels Public Library.

Samuels Library supporter Rebecca Althizer urges the board majority, 3 of 4 pictured below from left, Stanmeyer, Butler, Jamieson, minus Vicky Cook, to open their minds to other ideas than their own regarding a long-valued community asset to many citizens, Samuels Public Library.

“And I’ve said it once before, it’s our public library, not your church, none of this is your church … Although I know I’ve heard that you would love to turn a beautiful, peaceful Valley into a refuge place for a Catholic Taliban. Well, I don’t think you’re going to do that even though you’re bringing truckloads of people in,” Althizer challenged the supervisor’s reigning anti-Samuels majority, particularly the two with online-cited ties to Christendom College.

The two supervisors with direct ties to Christendom College, according to our online research, are John Stanmeyer, cited with a graduate degree in theology from Christendom, and Richard Jamieson, whose children are listed as attending the school. Both denied any such electoral connection. However, their denials were received skeptically by the Samuels Library supporters, who were dominant in the two public comment portions of the meeting.

In fact, Althizer herself voiced that skepticism with this harsh political/religious commentary on the board majority’s unwllingness to listen to the public, or even Samuels Library officials’ direct answers to their financial questions: “But please think about the other people, and we’ve been coming for over two years and begging you and being nice and being civil and trying to change the minds of people whose minds evidently cannot be changed. You’ve got your agenda and you’re sticking to it no matter what we say.

“You know, if Jesus Christ himself came in here and said, ‘I support Samuels’, you’d still vote it down. You vote down anything that’s for good,” Althizer continued, reflecting the citizen majority present. No public speakers supported the board majority’s actions regarding the library.

“And I agree, the schools and the fire department, they all need to be funded. But not at the expense of a wonderful organization like Samuels,” Althizer said of a library with life-reinforcing programs for multiple groups of both children and adults. Where is your humanity? Where is your decency? I don’t get it, you claim to be Christian, you claim to be religious, and yet your actions are the most un-God-like, most un-Christian actions I’ve ever seen,” Althizer added, repeating in closing her remarks, “So, please just think, it’s our library, it’s not your church.”

This reporter suggests readers listen to and watch those public comments and the board’s replies to them in their entirety as their time allows. Such viewing can help readers gain perspective on the emotions and factual or not assertions coming from either side of what is evolving from a political and budgetary debate into one of an increasingly socio-cultural perspective.

Video Time Signatures

The first round of Public Comments begins at the 48:20 linked video mark, and the second round of even more emotionally charged Public Comments begins at the 1:56:17 video mark.

Stanmeyer’s reply on Christendom’s alleged influence on supervisors begins at the 2:18:36 mark into his comments: “Also, earlier public comment in the first half suggested that somehow Christendom has me or anybody else by puppet strings. I don’t think that’s true for any of us,” Stanmeyer asserted.

“They never asked me to run, they never assisted me in running. They are as apolitical as it comes. I owe them nothing. And I do recognize that they create a lot of economic contributions to the community,” Stanmeyer continued, holding up an online post he cited as presenting false information on his lead topic, Christendom’s track record regarding State environmental standards of wastewater distribution.

As Chairman ‘Jay’ Butler listens, Supervisor John Stanmeyer disputes the notion that he or others on the board are controlled by the philosophical angle on Catholicism taught at Christendom College.

Stanmeyer’s remarks start at the 2:18:08 video mark regarding Christendom’s recent history of wastewater distribution into the Shenandoah River or tributaries leading into it. That history, which has been addressed by State DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) and federal associates at EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), began in 2018 according to past Royal Examiner coverage.

Take that, Samuels – I mean take that, Fire & Rescue

And a final note, Agenda Item ‘I’, approval of a “Resolution – Appropriation of Funds to Warren County Fire & Rescue” believed to be a portion of the redirected library funding, passed by a 4-1 margin, Cullers dissenting due, as she explained, to the way the funding was redirected from library usage in the original budget when the supervisors thought LS&S (Library Systems & Services) was going to take over operations. However, as previously reported, LS&S withdrew its application after being selected by the board majority, and apparently learning of all the involved variables. Those variables include Samuels Library’s remaining 14 years on its County-owned building lease at $1 a year, and its claim of ownership of all library books and supporting materials due to their purchase with either 501 (c) (3) Endowment money or patron contribution funding, not County tax revenue.

And as for Jamieson’s comments on the library controversy, they begin near the beginning of board consideration of the above-referenced Item ‘I’ at the 1:48:57 linked video mark following opening remarks by Fire & Rescue Deputy Chief Gerry Maiatico on the revenue, uses, and future operational funding impacts.

Despite evidence that appears to indicate otherwise, Supervisor ‘Rich’ Jamieson held fast to the assertion that Samuels Library officials are withholding operational financial information from elected county officials.

Adjournment came at 9:25 p.m.

Click here to watch the Warren County Board of Supervisors Meeting of September 2, 2025.