Former mayor expected to accept council appointment to fill vacancy
By Randy Arrington
LURAY, Jan. 16 — It appears that former Mayor Jerry Dofflemyer and former council member Stephanie Lillard will complete a full, political circle in a few weeks. In January of 2021, the council unanimously appointed Lillard to fill Dofflemyer’s council seat after he was elected mayor. Later this month, Dofflemyer will likely receive unanimous approval to fill the council seat left vacant after Lillard became the first female to be elected mayor in the Town of Luray’s 212-year history.
“It would make us more stream-lined as a council…if he would consider it,” Councilman Jason Pettit said during Monday night’s discussion. “We would have less down time…compared to getting a new person up to speed.”
Councilman Ron Vickers mentioned potentially opening up the process to applications, like the Page County Board of Supervisors did to fill its recent vacancy in District 4 following the sudden resignation of Isaac Smelser. Despite receiving four applications during that process, the supervisors still have not made an appointment nearly three months after Smelser submitted his resignation to the county on Oct. 23, 2024.
According to Town Attorney Jason Botkins, the Luray Council must fill the vacancy left by Lillard within 45 days of the vacancy becoming open. Lillard took the oath of office to become mayor from Page County Circuit Court Clerk Grayson Markowitz on Dec. 30, 2024 and her term began on Jan. 1. Botkins had only 15 days to file a Petition for Writ of Election with the circuit court requesting an order by the judge for a special election for the vacant council seat to be held during this fall’s general election in November.
The winner of this fall’s special election would finish out Lillard’s council term, which extends through Dec. 31, 2026. Lillard ran unopposed in 2021 to fill the remainder of Dofflemyer’s term through Dec. 31, 2022, and then finished second in a four-way race to fill three seats in 2022 for a full, four-year term on council.
During Monday’s meeting, Councilman Alex White mentioned that qualified candidates could also be found on the Luray Planning Commission. He specifically mentioned Commissioner Barbie Stombock and her knowledge and involvement with the issue of short-term rentals.
However, the overall consensus of the council was that Dofflemyer would be the best option for a nine-month appointment due to his knowledge of ongoing projects and operations of the Town, with the residents choosing who fills the final year of the four-year term at the polls in November. The council then directed Mayor Lillard to officially approach Dofflemyer about the vacancy and his interest in the appointment. Several council members have already had informal conversations with Dofflemyer about the potential appointment.
On Thursday, the former mayor told Page Valley News that he was interested in the nine-month appointment and would accept it, if the council decides to invite him to fill the vacancy. However, Dofflemyer also said he had not made a decision about whether or not he would pursue the final year of Lillard’s term during the special election in November.
The council is required to announce the names of all individuals being considered for the vacant seat at a public meeting at least seven days before making the appointment, according to the town attorney. Each candidate’s resume and any other materials required by council must be made available to the public for inspection at the Town Office during normal business hours.
The only name officially listed as a candidate for appointment at Monday’s meeting was former mayor Jerry Dofflemyer. According to a statement in the Jan. 13 meeting packet, the Luray Council anticipates taking a vote to fill its vacancy during a special meeting on Jan. 28. However, the vote could also take place at council’s regualr meeting on Feb. 10 and still fall within state guidleines.
In other business at its Jan. 13 meeting, the Luray Council took the following actions:
• Went into Closed Session to discuss the performance and employment of the Town Manager, the Town Attorney, the Town Clerk/Treasurer and the Chief of Police, as well as receive legal guidance and consultation about the processing of Special Use Permits. No action was taken on these items in open session.
• Unanimously approved four appointments to the Luray Planning Commission for four-year terms, including Tracie Dickson (nominated by Mayor Lillard), Barbie Stombock (nominated by Councilman Pettit), Brian Sours (nominated by Councilman Joey Sours), and Frankie Seaward (nominated by Councilman Chuck Butler).
• Unanimously approved three appointments to the Luray Tree and Beautification Committee for four-year terms, including Katie Sokol (re-appointment, nominated by Mayor Lillard), Allan Betcher (new candidate, nominated by Councilman Sours), and Cathie Miranda (re-appointment, nominated by Councilman Chuck Butler).
• Unanimously approved an update of the Procurement Policy for Luray from the Town Attorney. The policy was last updated in September 2020 and most recent changes reflect changes to the state code made by the General Assembly with relation to raising maximum limits (dollar amounts) for procurement that can be handled in-house without open bids or public announcements. Those limits were raised by the state due to the rising costs of goods and services. The limit for professional services was raised to $80,000; the maximum for non-transportation construction projects is now $300,000; other goods and services related to construction are limited to $200,000; the limit for transportation projects are set at $25,000; and small purchases are maxed at $5,000.
• Heard a report from the Town Attorney Jason Botkins on negotiations with the county on a revised Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) related to animal control services. Most of the revisions reviewed by council simply deal with language changes to clearly define responsibilities. An effort by the county to collect additional fees from each of the three towns for animal control services was abandoned this fall, when town representatives showed up in force at a board of supervisors’ meeting to oppose the measure. After consulting again with county attorney Michael Helms, Botkins will bring a final version of the MOU back to the council for approval.
Fore more information on the Town of Luray,
visit https://www.townofluray.com/
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