Supervisors Announce Coming Appointment of Hugh Henry to Fork District Seat, Hear More Public Criticism & Debate EDA Moves

Following approval of its October 7th meeting agenda as presented, the Warren County Board of Supervisors moved to “Discussion” of “Fork District Candidate Applicants”. And in a somewhat unexpected turn following its previous 2-2 deadlock on possible moves, after noting five applicants for the remainder of Vicky Cook’s term, Chairman “Jay” Butler announced that the board had come to a consensus to appoint unopposed Fork District candidate Hugh Henry to fill the remainder of Cook’s term through the end of the year. It was said that an appointment will be made at the board’s next meeting, which is scheduled for October 21st. Other moves to fill vacant planning commission seats were discussed as well.

Henry was present and later rose during the continued first Public Comments period to thank the board for the appointment to begin his familiarization with the elected body seat, as opposed to his recent term on the appointed county planning commission. It is noteworthy to repeat that Henry, along with Happy Creek District candidate Tony Carter, have stated support for the reinstatement of Samuels Library as the Public/Private Partner of the County in operations of the community’s public library partially supported by County Budget allocations, $1.24 million of which orginally committed to public library operations has been redirected to other uses in this Fiscal Year budget.

Incoming to-be-appointed Fork District Supervisor Hugh Henry at staff table with County Administrator Bradley Gotshall and County Attorney Jason Ham following Tuesday’s meeting. Henry, the lone candidate on the November ballot, is to be appointed at the board’s next meeting. Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini

On the topic of County-Library relations, during both Public Comments periods citizens rose to blast the existing supervisors majority for the anti-Samuels Library stance many citizens believe is not based upon the publicly stated “lack of financial accountability”, but rather on a continuation of the censorship of reading material first expressed during the 2023 “Clean Up Samuels” effort largely directed at anti-LGBTQ material.

The remaining anti-Samuels supervisors, Jamieson, Stanmeyer, and Butler, did get one rare public voice of support for their anti-Samuels perspective from Mark Egger. But perhaps ironically, Egger based his support on an anti-LBGTQ perspective. His comments are at the 49:42 mark of the linked County video.

Mark Egger supported the supervisor majority’s actions against Samuel Library. However, Egger cited LGBTQ issues, as opposed to the “lack of financial accountability” that the board majority has promoted as its reason for cutting funding. Below, “Save Samuels” PAC President Samantha Good was scathing in her appraisal of the board majority’s actions against a long-respected community institution.

The pro-Samuels speakers included John Jenkins (21:39 video mark), Bethany O’Neill (27:16 video mark), and Samantha Good (1:57:49 video mark). Other speakers critical of actions by particular supervisors on other, perhaps indirectly related, issues included Lewis Motten (24:41 video mark), and Dominic Rubel (1:54:27 video mark). Rubel was particularly scathing in his critique of Supervisor John Stanmeyer’s public comments in support of Christendom College’s wastewater issues into water bodies flowing into the Shenandoah River. As previously reported, Royal Examiner first wrote about the school’s failure to maintain state standards on wastewater disposal issues in 2018.

Rubel stated that he had previously presented Stanmeyer with factual background material on Christendom College state-cited violations of wastewater dumping standards, but that Stanmeyer had ignored that evidence in defending Christendom’s wastewater operations. “The reason I say that you lied, rather than something like you misunderstood certain information or you didn’t have the complete picture, is because I came to you, in this room a few months ago, and gave you this information …

Dominic Rubel asked Supervisor Stanmeyer why he ignored material he had given him in addressing Christendom College’s history of wastewater disposal violations ending in the Shenandoah River. Rubel asserted Stanmeyer was running “damage control” for Christendom College, as opposed to representing the best interests of his Shenandoah district constituents.

“What I don’t know is why, why were you using your time to run damage control for Christendom College? You don’t represent Christendom College, you represent the Shenandoah District,” Rubel said as his 3-minute timer went off and he left the podium.

The board also presented a PowerPoint on an “Industrial Well-Water Prohibition Ordinance” under consideration. Chairman Butler introduced the topic and turned the presentation over to Supervisor Jamieson (11:17 video mark).

Also following a debate between Supervisors Cullers and Jamieson on moving forward on the Finance Department’s procurement process “to solicit Economic Development Consulting Services” the board came around to Cullers’ suggestion the board table the matter to give them a chance to communicate with the Town government about a process, possibly even a jointly undertaken EDA process as it previously existed prior to the circa 2014-2018 EDA “financial scandal”.

In fact, Jamieson made the motion to table the matter to November 4th. Following a second from Ms. Cullers, the motion passed 3-1, with Chairman Butler dissenting. That action was on item 6 of a 15-item Consent Agenda from which Cullers pulled four items, including that one.

The now 4-member board ponders another decision as Cheryl Cullers, left, urged her colleagues not to move too quickly on spending money on an economic development advisor before talking to the Town about a possible joint path forward. Below, local 4-H members were introduced to the board by a sponsor in recognition of National 4-H Week. They and the programs they participate in were lauded by county officials.

The Board’s action agenda included three public hearings and one “Unfinished Business” item on Short-term Tourist Rental permitting applications. Those Conditional Use Permit (CUP) applications, all of which were passed with conditions suggested by the Planning Commission, were for the following locations:

7:30 PM – Public Hearings

546. Public Hearing: CUP2025-06-02 – Short-Term Tourist Rental – 145 Indian Pipes Rd – A request for a conditional use permit for a short-term tourist rental. The property is located at 145 Indian Pipes Road and is identified on tax map 24B, block 116, as lot 546. The property is zoned Residential-One (R-1) and is located in the Blue Mountain subdivision in the Shenandoah Magisterial District. – Kelly Wahl , Planner
547. Public Hearing: CUP2025-07-02 – Short-Term Tourist Rental – 699 Sunset Village Road – A request for a conditional use permit for a short-term tourist rental. The property is located at 699 Sunset Village Road and is identified on tax map 27D, section 1, as lot 8. The property is zoned Residential-One (R-1) and is located in the Junewood Estates subdivision in the Fork Magisterial District. – Kelly Wahl , Planner
548. Public Hearing: CUP2025-07-07 – Short-Term Tourist Rental – 279 Donna Court – A request for a conditional use permit for a short-term tourist rental. The property is located at 279 Donna Court and is identified on tax map 15D, section 2, block 5, as lot 276. The property is zoned Residential-One (R-1) and is located in the Shenandoah Farms – River View subdivision Shenandoah Magisterial District. Kelly Wahl , Planner

Unfinished Business

32. CUP2025-04-01 – Short-Term Tourist Rental – 311 Golden Russet Dr – A request for a conditional use permit for a short-term tourist rental. The property is located at 311 Golden Russet Dr and is identified on tax map 22B, block T, as lot 32. The property is zoned Residential-One (R-1) and is located in the Apple Mountain Lake subdivision in the Happy Creek Magisterial District. – Kelly Wahl, Planner

Only Item K, at 145 Indian Pipes Rd got one dissenting vote cast by Ms. Cullers. The rest were all passed by unanimous 4-0 votes.

This was also newly hired County Administrator Bradley Gotshall’s first meeting in succession of the retiring Ed Daley.

A new look at the administrative staff table as Bradley Gotshall joins County Attorney Jason Ham, right, for his first meeting as County Administrator.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:07 p.m.

 Click here to watch the Warren County Board of Supervisor Meeting of October 7, 2025.