(Note: This is an addition and clarification to the Times Virginian’s Feb. 28 article titled “County citizens voice concern over public safety director’s dismissal”)
During the Feb. 20 meeting of the Appomattox County Board of Supervisors (BOS), six local citizens made public comment voicing their opposition to the recent dismissal of Bobby Wingfield, long-time director of public safety.
BOS Vice-Chairman Al Jones III, who represents the Piney Mountain District, commented extensively, voicing frustration with the way the matter involving Wingfield was handled by the board and calling for more transparency in the form of a roll call vote.
“I felt like the decision had already been made, and as a board member no one contacted me, nobody had a conversation with me,” he said. “I want to know how we’re going to operate…I don’t want to come to a board meeting, and out of nowhere I find out that a long-term employee is gonna be terminated, and that decision has to be made (on the night of the meeting).
Jones also defended County Administrator Susan Adams, who he feels has unjustly taken blame for the personnel decision regarding Wingfield.
“I think it’s unfair for the citizens in this county not to know what’s going on, and it’s unfair for Miss Adams to take the fall. If the board decides that that’s what they need to do, I think the public ought to know what people’s positions are,” he said.
In addressing BOS Chairman John Hinkle, Jones stated, “Mr. Chairman, I think everybody on this board cares about this community, that we may differ about what we do and how we do it, but I think it’s a public interest in certain matters of the county that require a roll call vote, that require some serious deliberation and thinking before we make those decisions. So, I just want to know if we’re going to govern this board by not being able to bring up certain issues without other board members knowing that that’s the direction that the majority of the board is going in. I think it’s unfair for that just to be thrust upon other board members. Now, I don’t know much about politics, I pastored for 40 years but I believe in this community and I think the Appomattox way, taking into consideration our hometown people, I think that we should do that. So, if the board decides that we can come in and just make decisions like that, then that’s what we’ll do. Do you understand the clarification I’m trying to get?”
Hinkle replied, “What I get out of this, Reverend Jones, is your first issue is that you don’t feel well enough informed ahead of time before coming to a board meeting.”
Jones followed, “Let me add to that, when we make certain personnel decisions in this county, I think coming out of closed session, it should be a roll call vote, and that the citizens of the county should be able to know where we stand, and I don’t think Miss Adams should be the person that, ‘OK, Miss Adams just terminated someone. I think that’s unfair. I think our citizens deserve to know how we stand on certain issues.”
Hinkle then addressed Appomattox County Attorney Thomas Lacheney, saying, “I’ve been on this board for four years and I sat on personnel committee and went through interviews for prospective county employees and whatnot, and my impression through all that is that the day-to-day operation, i.e. personnel matters, are strictly by human resources and Miss Adams, and that the board, they just come to us to advise us what’s going on, that we’re really not decision-makers in that matter unless I’ve misunderstood something along the line. We do not vote on anything in closed session, period.”
Lacheney replied, stating that the subject would be discussed in closed session and reiterating that voting cannot take place in closed sessions.
“To add something to the agenda, you can amend your agenda by a majority vote. “If one of the supervisors raises an issue on supervisor comment, to act on that would require a unanimous vote,” Lacheney said. “Coming out of closed session, if a motion is made that basically is in essence like a motion to amend, we’re adding something to our agenda after closed session, then the board could vote on that. If somebody objected, then you first have to take a vote whether it’s acceptable to add it to the agenda. Typically, if it passes that means the majority put it on the agenda.”
Jones then stated that his primary concern is that the decision was not placed on the agenda, to which Lacheney again said would be discussed in closed session.
Earlier, in addressing demands of transparency expressed by citizens, Lacheney explained that by law, personnel matters are confidential and protect the individual involved.
"Several of the citizens mentioned transparency," he said during a discussion with board members. "Personnel matters by state law and by definition are not transparent. I'm not sure what we could say that wouldn't potentially violate the confidentiality of the personnel system."
There’s more to this in the current issue of the Times Virginian newspaper. Support local journalism by purchasing the issue at a local newsstand or subscribing at www.timesvirginian.com/subscriber_services to receive the print edition or view the full article in the e-edition version.
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