“This board has managed to make a real mess in three months.”
Former Gloucester County Board of Supervisors Ware District representative Michael Hedrick, who held his seat from 2019 to 2023, criticized the board’s 4-3 decision to terminate the contract of County Administrator Carol Steele last week. He was joined by several others during Tuesday night’s meeting, held in the colonial courthouse.
“What you did was absolutely shameless,” continued Hedrick. “Good luck in hiring a new county administrator.”
“Ms. Steele deserved better,” chimed in Randy Burak of the Abingdon District during the public comment period. “Gloucester deserves better.”
“The abrupt termination of County Administrator Carol Steele was not just a personnel action,” stated Pam Garner of Gloucester’s Abingdon district. “It was a major disruption to county operations, and it was carried out with a level of speed and secrecy that undermines public trust.”
Garner called on the board to start rebuilding public trust by explaining how the decision to terminate was made. “Gloucester residents expect and deserve a board that operates with integrity, consistency and respect for established procedures.”
“The board’s termination of Ms. Steele’s contract is not just a mistake, it is a profound injustice,” said Terri Byrne of the Gloucester Point District. “Ms. Steele is a seasoned public servant with decades of experience and a stellar record. To terminate her contract behind closed doors without warning or due process was a cowardly maneuver designed to evade public accountability.
“This community deserves better,” she finished. “Ms. Steele deserves far better.”
Supervisors did not discuss last week’s decision to terminate Steele’s contract, and no additional action on the matter was taken during Tuesday’s meeting.
GVFRS Station 1
The board approved a resolution to accept guiding principles between it and the Gloucester Volunteer Fire & Rescue Squad in regard to construction of the new Station 1 by a vote of 6-0-1. Nick Bonniville abstained from voting due to his affiliation with the organization, he said.
Supervisors Ashley Chriscoe and Joe Leming met with GVFRS representatives over the past several months to come to a consensus on these guiding principles, which addresses previous property ownership disputes.
The new Station 1 will be controlled by GVFRS. If the squad and the county at any time agree that GVFRS can no longer provide fire and rescue services to the public, then the property and its assets will be turned over to the county.
Once the new GVFRS Station 1 at 6677 Main Street is completed and operational, GVFRS’s current properties will be deeded to the county.
Other matters
The board approved a resolution to accept a mural design for the outside wall of the Gloucester Adult Day Center on Main Street by Michael Rosato, the artist who created the T.C. Walker mural.
“I’m here to tell your story in a realistic way that people can be educated from,” said Rosato.
The mural will feature Gloucester County historic scenes, including imagery of Chief Powhatan, women sewing daffodil bulbs into their dresses to bring the flower from England to the New World, the Battle of the Hook and Second Surrender, Rosewell Plantation, and the working watermen.
The board also gave its unanimous approval for an ordinance that allows the creation of community development authorities in the county. Residents will now have the opportunity to petition the county to form CDAs in their neighborhoods. CDAs are geographically-designed tax districts created to allow partnerships between public and private entities, which are formed to finance and develop infrastructure and other improvements.