Judge issues final order in lawsuit over Pound Council meetings | Local News
Smart — Two Pound Town Council customers acted unlawfully when they achieved and appointed an interim council member in September 2021, a Smart County Circuit Courtroom decide dominated Wednesday.
Decide John Kilgore signed a closing get in the September lawsuit versus the town, council associates Glenn Cantrell, Danny Stanley, Clifton Cauthorne and appointee James Pelfrey.
The fit adopted Cantrell and Stanley’s Sept. 14 assembly to appoint Pelfrey to the council seat vacated in March 2021 by Cantrell’s brother, Phil Cantrell Jr. Ten plaintiffs — which include now-member Leabern Kennedy — claimed that Cantrell and Stanley did not get in touch with the assembly effectively and did not have a legal quorum of the five-seat council to appoint Pelfrey and do council organization in September.
Mayor Stacey Carson — the presiding officer for all council conferences below the town charter — and Cauthorne were absent from the Sept. 14 meeting, and Carson did not connect with for that meeting underneath constitution provisions.
Stanley and Cauthorne resigned in December, leaving Cantrell as the only active council member remaining as a defendant. Cantrell and Cauthorne attended Wednesday’s listening to along with Carson and plaintiffs Kennedy, Dianna Smith and Vernon Tompkins.
Kilgore’s order mentioned that:
• The Sept. 14 meeting was not termed thoroughly.
• Pelfrey was not sworn into workplace thoroughly.
• Carson is the presiding officer for council conferences until a chairperson is thoroughly elected.
• The Sept. 14 meeting and a subsequent Sept. 21 meeting had been void less than law and all conclusions reversed due to the fact Carson was not existing and presiding more than either assembly.
Cantrell, who had no lawful representation mainly because City Lawyer Cameron Bell resigned his submit just after the match was filed, objected to Kilgore’s order. He said he and Stanley had acted based on a state legal professional general’s opinion that an elected board could act when a the greater part of energetic associates confronted a scenario where other associates did not attend the assembly.
“An lawyer general’s opinion is not precedent,” Kilgore reported, including that he made his ruling dependent on the law and information of the circumstance. He also dismissed Stanley as a plaintiff since he resigned his publish.
“You can appeal this to the (Virginia) Supreme Courtroom,” Kilgore explained to Cantrell.
Just after Kilgore ended the hearing, Cantrell manufactured no reaction when asked if he prepared to charm the order.
“I consider the judge did the appropriate thing,” stated plaintiff’s legal professional Sidney Kolb following the hearing.
“I just say, thank God,” explained Smith.
Carson known as the ruling “finally some superior news for our city.”
“I’m like Stacey,” claimed Tompkins. “We require this.”
“I’m just glad it’s put to bed so we can transfer on with the organization of the city,” explained Kennedy. “I hope the decide will appoint folks to the vacant seats, and my hope is that Delegate (Terry) Kilgore will withdraw his monthly bill to kill our charter and to allow us the opportunity to transfer ahead.”
Kilgore’s Household Bill 904 is now pending in advance of the Dwelling of Delegates Committee on Counties, Towns and Towns’ Subcommittee A single, which is scheduled to satisfy on Friday.
A petition by Kennedy and Carson and a letter by Cantrell inquiring the 30th Judicial Circuit to appoint three interim council associates is also pending. Four residents have filed letters of fascination for the a few open up seats: Doris J. Mullins, Bethany Miller, Kristin T. Foley, and Kensleigh Browning.
Cantrell, in his letter, questioned the court to take into account four men and women: Pelfrey, furloughed city clerk- treasurer Melissa Fleming, previous town mayor/town manager George Dean and Fire Main John Stallard.
