Transparency News, 3/22/2022

Tuesday
March 22, 2022

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state & local news stories

Spotsylvania County School Board Chair Kirk Twigg canceled Monday evening’s meeting less than an hour before it was to begin, citing “lack of quorum,” according to board members Dawn Shelley, Nicole Cole and Lorita Daniels. School division spokeswoman René Daniels confirmed Monday that “lack of a quorum” was the reason for canceling the meeting, which Twigg had called for the purpose of discussing the superintendent search and making a final decision on how to spend $14 million in carryover funds from fiscal year 2021. According to the Code of Virginia, a quorum for the purposes of a School Board meeting is “a majority.” For the seven-member Spotsylvania School Board, a quorum would be four members. Shelley, Daniels and Cole all said Monday evening they were planning to attend the meeting. Twigg did not immediately respond to an email from the Free Lance–Star sent Monday evening seeking clarity on why the meeting was cancelled.
The Free Lance-Star

Petersburg City Manager Stuart Turille Jr. has been placed on administrative leave eight months into his tenure, Petersburg's mayor announced Thursday morning. No reason was given for the move because the city called it a personnel matter.Mayor Samuel Parham announced the move at a quickly called news conference after the dedication of a bridge on St. Andrew's Street, but he refused to take questions about the decision. Parham said there would be more information available on the situation next week.
The Progress-Index

A Fairfax County police commander has been demoted as part of an ongoing administrative investigation of suicides by a department recruit and his wife that occurred hours apart in their Mount Vernon-area home in late February, authorities said. County police declined to make public the exact rank or name of the officer, but described the move in a statement as a “leadership change.” The officer was the on-scene commander during the incident. Police said personnel rules precluded them from identifying the officer or disclosing what specifically led to the demotion since the inquiry was administrative in nature, not criminal. The probe was ordered by Police Chief Kevin Davis.
The Washington Post