Loading...
HomeMy Public PortalAbout1990_10_17MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING OF LEESBURG TOWN COUNCIL, OCTOBER 17, 1990. A special meeting of the Leesburg Town Council was held at the School Board Meeting Room, 102 North Street, N.W., Leesburg, Virginia on October 17, 1990 at 7:30 p.m. pursuant to Notice thereof having been delivered to all councilmembers prior thereto, said Notice having been signed by Councilmembers Bange, Clem and Webb. Present were: Mayor Robert E. Sevila, Councilmembers Georgia W. Bange, James E. Clem, Christine M. Forester, Donald A. Kimball, Claxton E. Lovin and William F. Webb; also Staff Members Steve Brown, Paul York,Tom Mason, Randolph Shoemaker, Katherine Imhoff, Paul Gauthier, Mac Willingham, Town Attorney George M. Martin and Deputy Town At- torney Deborah C. Welsh. Mr. William Mulokey~ of 312 Edwards Ferry Road, N.E., addressed Council and, more specifically, Councilmembers Bange, Clem and Webb, concerning their action last week to accept the resignation of Town Manager Jeffrey H. Minor when such resignation had not been tendered. This action makes it clear that they are determined to pursue a course that could have dire consequences for the Town and for the Council. The costs of reorganizing administrations are astronomical and firing people breeds fear and distrust. If these people can't trust you, you can't trust them. He felt Leesburg is on the brink of a financial crisis and at a critical point in development of municipal projects. The Council should work closely with the professionals who have lived with and understand the problems the Town is facing. He cited former President Nixon's failure to do so. He urged councilmembers to work hard for viable compromise and to deal with the Town Staff fairly and supportively so that a smooth transition through these perilous times can be achieved. Mr. John W. Tolbert, Jr. cited two examples of hiring and firing "top" employees - one being a former Superintendent of Nurses at Loudoun Memorial Hospital, the other at Madeira School when he was chef there - he was late due to a traffic tie-up and the Manager said if it happened again, he would have no job. By Noon he was gone. What is the problem with the Council and the staff? The problem is with the previous Coun- cil and the present one - they do not cooperate with the Manager and find fault with the staff instead of sitting down and ironing it out. You are here to serve - not to express your dislikes of the personnel. During his fourteen years, he didn't always agree with the staff, but he would tell them that - not go out on the street and tell it. Why don't you q~it your "Hatfield and McCoy's" and go back to the table and dis- cuss your problems and get down to business. This isn't the time "to change horses in the middle of the stream" or somebody might be drowned. If you don't, it will come back to haunt you in the future. He hoped they would see fit to put their differences aside and get down to town business. You know what you have, but you don't know what you will get. Think this over before you make your final decision. Mayor Sevila acknowledged the presence of Steve Brown, Tom Mason, Paul York, Randy Shoemaker, George Martin, Debbie Welsh, Susan Farmer, Paul Gauthier, Mac Wil- Iingham, Nancy Fixx, Della Clark and Kat Imhoff - all members of staff. On motion of Ms. Bange. seconded by Mr. Clem, the following motion was made and unanimously adopted: Pursuant to Section 2.1-344 of the 1950 Code of Virginia, as amended, I move that the Town Council of the Town of Leesburg go into Executive Session. The authori- ty for this Executive Session is found in Section 2.1-344(1) of the 1950 Code of Vir- ginia, as amended. The purpose for this Executive Session is to discuss and/or act on the status of the Town Manager's position. The Town Manager shall be present. Aye: Nay: Councilmembers Bange, Clem, Forester, Kimball, Lovin, Webb and Mayor Sevila. None. On motion made and seconded, the executive session was ~na~imo~sl~ ~djour~ed: Aye: Nay: Councilmembers Bange, Clem, Forester, Kimball~ Io~in Sevila. None. ,ATe[5 ~n~ Magc~ 90-262 - RESOLUTION - CERTIFYING EXECUTIVE SESSION OF OCTOBER 17, 1990. On motion of Mr. Lovin, seconded by Mr. Webb, the following resolution was pro- posed and unanimously adopted~by roll call vote: WHEREAS, the Town Council of the Town of Leesburg has this day convened in Executive Session in accordance with an affirmative recorded vote of the Town Council of the Town of Leesburg and in accordance with the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Town Council of the Town of Leesburg does hereby certify that to the best of each member's knowledge, (1) only MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING OF LEESBURG TOWN COUNCIL, OCTOBER 17, 1990. A special meeting of the Leesburg Town Council was held at the School Board Meeting Room, 102 North Street, N.W., Leesburg, Virginia on October 17, 1990 at 7:30 p.m. pursuant to Notice thereof having been delivered to all councilmembers prior-thereto, said Notice having been signed by Councilmembers Bange, Clem and Webb. Present were: Mayor Robert E. Sevila, Councilmembers Georgia W. Bange, James E. Clem, Christine M. Forester, Donald A. Kimball, Claxton E. Lovin and William F. Webb: also Staff Members Steve Brown, Paul York,Tom Mason, Randolph Shoemaker, Katherine Imhoff, Paul Gauthier, Mac Willingham, Town Attorney George M. Martin and Deputy Town At- torney Deborah C. Welsh. Mr. William Muloke~, of 312 Edwards Ferry Road, N.E., addressed Council and, more specifically, Councilmembers Bange, Clem and Webb, concerning their action last week to accept the resignation of Town Manager Jeffrey H. Minor when such resignation had not been tendered. This action makes it clear that they are determined to pursue a course that could have dire consequences for the Town and for the Council. The costs of reorganizing administrations are astronomical and firing people breeds fear and distrust. If these people can't trust you, you can't trust them. He felt Leesburg is on the brink of a financial crisis and at a critical point in development of municipal projects. The Council should work closely with the professionals who have lived with and understand the problems the Town is facing. He cited former President Nixon's failure to do so. He urged councilmembers to work hard for viable compromise and to deal with the Town Staff fairly and supportively so that a smooth transition through these perilous times can be achieved. Mr. John W. Tolbert, Jr. cited two examples of hiring and firing "top" employees one being a former Superintendent of Nurses at Loudoun Memorial Hospital, the other at Madeira School when he was chef there he was late due to a traffic tie-up and the Manager said if it happened again, he would have no job. By Noon he was gone. What is the problem with the Council and the staff? The problem is with the previous Coun- cil and the present one - they do not cooperate with the Manager and find fault with the staff instead of sitting down and ironing it out. You are here to serve - not to express your dislikes of the personnel. During his fourteen years, he didn't always agree with the staff, but he would tell them that - not go out on the street and tell it. Why don't you q,~it your "Hatfield and McCoy's" and go back to the table and dis- cuss your problems and get down to business. This isn't the time "to change horses in the middle of the stream" or somebody might be drowned. If you don't, it will cor~ back to haunt you in the future. He hoped they would see fit to put their differences aside and get down to town business. You know what you have, but you don't know what you will get. Think this over before you make your final decision. Mayor Sevila acknowledged the presence of Steve Brown, Tom Mason, Paul York, Randy Shoemaker, George Martin, Debbie Welsh, Susan Farmer, Paul Gauthier, Mac Wil- lingham, Nancy Fixx, Della Clark and Kat Imhoff - all members of staff. On motion of Ms. Bange. seconded by Mr. Clem, the following motion was made and unanimously adopted: Pursuant to Section 2.1-344 of the 1950 Code of Virginia, as amended, I move that the Town Council of the Town of Leesburg go into Executive Session. The authori- ty for this Executive Session is found in Section 2.1-344(1) of the 1950 Code of Vir- ginia, as amended. The purpose for this Executive Session is to discuss and/or act on the status of the Town Manager's position. The Town Manager shall be present. Aye: Nay: Councilmembers Bange, Clem, Forester, Kimball, Lovin, Webb and Mayor Sevila. None. Ca motion made and seconded, the executive session was unanimously .~d:ourned: ~ye: Nay: Councilmembers Bange, Clem, Forester, Kimball, Lovin, Weob an! kayor ~ev~la None. 90-262 - RESOLUTION - CERTIFYING EXECUTIVE SESSION OF OCTOBER 17, 1990. On motion of Mr. Lovin, seconded by Mr. Webb, the following resolution was pro- posed and unanimously adopted by roll call vote: WHEREAS, the Town Council of the Town of Leesburg has this day convened in Executive Session in accordance with an affirmative recorded vote of the Town Council of the Town of Leesburg and in accordance with the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Town Council of the Town of Leesburg does hereby certify that to the best of each member's knowledge, (1) only MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING OF OCTOBER 17, 1990. public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements under the Freedom of Information Act were discussed in the Executive Ses- sion to which this certification applies; and (2) only such public business matters as were identified in the Motion by which the said Executive Session was convened were heard, discussed or considered by the Town Council of the Town of Leesburg. Aye: Councilmembers Bange, Clem, Forester, Kimball, Lovin, Webb and Mayor Sevila. Nay: None. Council recessed until'such time as Mr. Minor returns to the meeting. The special meeting of Council was called back to order by Mayor Sevila at 8:30 p.m. The following proposed resolution was read by the Town Clerk: RESOLVED that the Town Council of the Town of Leesburg accepts the resigna- tion of Jeffrey H. Minor, with regret, for the position of Town Manager ef- fective October 31, 1990, pursuant to the Town Charter. Severance compensa- tion for Mr. Minor shall be: a. The sum of $21,088, plus b. Compensation at his FY 91 pay rate for all unused accrued vacation leave as of December 31, 1990, and regular sick leave as of December 31, 1990. c. Paid group health, disability, dental and life insurance policies for a period of six months from separation or until coverage is obtained by new employer, whichever occurs first. FURTHER RESOLVED that Mr. Minor is hereby appointed as Special Consultant to the town for a period of November 1, 1990 through March 31, 1991 for the lump sum payment of $10,000, payable in advance. These services shall consist of preparation of a management plan for the municipal parking facility and for a Developer's Competition RFP for the Loudoun Street Infill, to ensure an orderly transition of government and other duties assigned by the Council. Mr. Minor may accept another position during this period. John Parker, dentist, asked what our contingency plans are, if we are getting rid of the Town Manager,to go on from here. There is a lot to be considered here. He is under the impression that the economy and things are not going very well and he is not sure now is the time to get rid of the Town Manager and go into reorgani- zation. We need to sit back and think a little bit what we are doing. What is going on here? Why are we suddenly getting rid of the Town Manager? What is wrong with the town that we have to reorganizae at this time? What are the Council's ideas on this? He has not read anything as to what is wrong or who is unhappy with Mr. Minor. He voted for some of those on the Council and this was not his objective. He felt we need to get this out in the open and decide from there. He would like to know just what is going on and felt there were a lot of others here who would like to know too. has had Tom Galloway, who has been oi~ Loudoun County for almost 20 years and/a business in Leesburg for almost ten years~ ~en they started the Renaissance program, Mr. Minor was an integral part of it. He thought this had come up before and that it was "put to bed" it is a disappointment to see it come up again. This is not a good time to be going through this - with the number of problems we have to face, tax problems, business problems, problems with the economy, getting a Renaissance Committee going to revitalize Leesburg. 'To go through a change at this point d~'esn't make a lot of sense - he felt this is a terrible act to take upon themselves ~n¢ not .~i~e any ex- planation. He is in favor of Mr. Minor. Sue Webb, Vice-President of the Le~sbu~g Bu~i~e~s ~s~o.i~tJ~n, s~o~e for Don Caruthers, the President, who could not be here tonight. She read a letter he had sent to Mayor Sevila today in support of Mr. Minor. This letter stated it would not be in the best interest of Leesburg, and certainly not in the interest of the business community, to dismiss Mr. Minor and urged Council to carefully consider this action. Powers Thomas, as a resident and long-time member of the business community, said he eats at Leesburg Restaurant, which is probably the finest polling place for public opinion you can find. He invited the individual councilmembers to come in and hear what is being said about this issue and Mr. Minor. This is a polling point for the support he has. Time is also a point, the man goes away for a week-end and comes back and finds he may be without a job. What does the community have to say MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING OF OCTOBER 17, 1990 and what time is there to respond to let Council know what the business community thinks? This is pretty quick, isn't it? They thought this issue was resolved sometime ago - you were going to give a reprieve and see what happened. Now, there is a late-minute session where they are asked to come and speak out - they are here at 7:30 and they find people are speaking at 6:30. There is a definite communica- tion problem going on with this whole process. These people are here to support this man and to tell Council they want them to reconsider - it will be a long time before they will have one who has done what he has done for the toll road - have you thought about what he has done for the economy of Leesburg? All Council has done is pick apart little issues, such as car telephones. Think about the big picture, and re- think - if you think this is going down tonight as a final deal, then some of you will be going down at re-election. People will not forget. Mike Blair, a ~resident of West Market Street, and who has been here about 10 years, was also here to support Mr. Minor. He felt this is a personal vendetta of several members of the Town Council that has absolutely no support in this community He has yet to hear any support for what they are doing. He believed Council is elected to support the citizens and hopes they will do that. Tom Jewell. who works in town, said there are people here tonight who own quite a bit of property in town, who own some of the major businesses and who are some of the major employers in town. He has talked to a lot of these people indi- vidually and has been told there is a ground swell of support in the busi- ness community for the removal of the Town Manager and what he has done in the past and the offenses he has committed - he can't swallow that story. The people in this room are those he works with on a daily basis - outside of a few, he has yet to find anyone who can muster up the support or who can give credence to the fact that our present Town Manager is incapable of doing the job. Two things are critically lack- ing here tonight the visible presence of those who are adamantly opposed to Jeff continuing in his job (they deserve to hear from these people) and something about the democratic process. All of those in this room have other places they could be tonight. They elect a Town Council to do what they think is best for the town. He does not believe that this is the best way for the democratic process to work. He only hopes that the four who are presently inclined to accept this resolution will reconsider and think about the fact that they were elected to serve the people in this town and those who do not live in the town but work here. He hopes they will think on this and that cool, calm heads will prevail tonight. Mary Hope Whirley spoke in behalf of Mr. Minor and also first-hand knowledge. She has dealt with him as a part of the Leesburg Renaissance Board of Directors and found this to be a positive situation. He has been very cooperative, efficient and professional and has dealt with what he thinks isinthe best interest of the town. Howard Armfield, Chairman of the ad hoc Committee to Keep the County Govern- ment in Leesburg, felt Mr. Minor has been a super administrator of this group, which has been meeting for approximately two years. He has been able to produce reports~, compiled information from Town sources and gotten other people to work at the last minute to meet County deadlines that were short - he should be complimented for what he does. The ground~well that has the four of them against him doesn't exist - there is a vocal minority that must be pressuring them for reasons that are not clear to the public~ and which need to be made clear, of why his resignation is being demanded. The Town would be in a very difficult place these next few months with him leaving October 31st - the work he has planned has not begun to touch all the issues that need to be dealt with. He has the ability to do it. If those against him are really trying to point at someone else, then you should and not just aim your anger at Mr. Minor because he is available and eligible. Patricia McMahan, 1308 Campbell Court, N.E., was appalled ,~nd dismayed. They came here to attend a committee meeting - it is obvious that th~ business community has been alerted to something that the private citizeps have no~ ~.nd will not have the opportunity to put in their two cents. Whether o rot M~. ~Ii~ o~ lea~e~ tonight, next year or whenever, or if he ever leaves, is sometling that ~s imp0~:ant to ~he Town of Leesburg because we aren't gettim~ on with ~u~in~s~ t ~t'.l this is r~sol-~ed~ There was an election in May - there was a large turnout and a large turnover in that election - it speaks for the majority of the private citizens. These citizens should have been heard in May and that result is just coming up now. She found it appalling that the business community seems to know that there was going to be a special Council meeting tonight and the citizens did not and could not attend. They would not be here except that Potomac Crossing is on a committee meeting that may or may not take place tonight. It is very disillusioning, as a citizen, to realize that they, as private citizens, are going to have no input, and it is very obvious that the business community has united very strongly and is having a one-sided vote. MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING OF OCTOBER 17, 1990. Mr. Eric Mullis of the Toll Road Corporation of Virginia, read the following letter from Mr. Ralph L. Stanley, Chief Executive Officer of said Corporation to The Citizens of Leesburg: Over the last two years, the Toll Road Corporation of Virginia has worked with numerous government agencies, elected officials, community leaders and interest groups on the planning, design review and approval of the Dulles Toll Road Extension. Jeff Minor, Leesburg's energetic Town Mana- ger, stands out as one of the most effective public servants we have en- countered.Jeff's unswerving commitment to the Dulles Toll Road Extension project was instrumental in ensuring that the extension was brought all the way to Lee~burg. Jeff Minor would not settle for less, neither would the Toll Road Corporation of Virginia. When some said "You'll never get it done" Jeff Minor said "What will it take? Let's go do it." Jeff Minor has consistently achieved tremendous results for the citizens of Leesburg. As we begin a forty-year partnership with the citizens of Leesburg, we look forward to working with high qaulity result% oriented, dedicated public ser- vants like Jeff Minor. Sincerely, O /s/ Ralph L. Stanley Chief Executive Officer He added that, in following these'proceedings over the last few months, the one question that seemed to never be answered is why this is taking place and what has Mr. Minor done that he needs to be excused from his job? He believed this deserves an answer. Mr. William Mulokey, said that, as a private citizen who reads the paper, he would like to dispel any notion that citizens are being excluded from this. He also would like to challenge the concept that private citizens would support Mr. Minor's resignation. He felt Mrs. McMahan is completely uninformed and should be ashamed at suggesting Mr. Minor's resignation after all the work that the Town Staff, under Mr. Minor's direction, has done in Potomac Crossing. He thought this was ap- palling. Mr. Adrian Edwards, a resident and business owner in Leesburg, was present in support of Mr. Minor. He made two points: (1) one of his clients, an attorney that works with the town, in talking about this situation the last time it came up, said that, in his years in working with towns throughout the State of Virginia, he has worked with approximately twelve town managers and he felt that Mr. Minor was the best of the twelve he had worked with by far. He valued his opinion highly. Secondly, last year When he was president of the Loudoun Chapter of NVBIA, he had a lot of dealings with the town and a lot of dealings with Mr. Minor and his staff. They found themselves at odds in these proceedings many times but, throughout it all, it was his feeling that the Town, and Mr. Mino~ was fair and tried to be fair to both sides of the issue, even though a lot of times they were arguing about them. He didn't feel there was any reason to justify this. As somebody that did vote for some of the new members, his vote was not "a shot at Jeff Minor". His vote was more on the issue of business in the Town of Leesburg and some of the other issues that were available then. To insinuate that,because we had three new members elected in May, this is why we should get rid of Jeff Minor is absurd. Alex Green, who has been in Leesburg since April 1973 in terms of working, and has lived here most of that time and currently lives here, has spoken to some of the members about his concerns abo~t what yo~ aave now voted on. At the risk of re- enforcing what some other p~oole h~w said, ch~ issue that confronts the town is certainly economy. We ~e g ,ne tlr~g~ a lot of opportunity economically - there are a lot of capital programs that h~e be~n p~s~ed by former Councils that are cur- rently in place or so~n t~ ~e in pa¢~. I~ .~i~.l r~.qu~r~ experience to handle these, especially now that our current local economy is going downhill fast. Add to that the international problem, which is aggravated by gasoline prices. We need some leadership in carrying out the former projects that were approved and the new projects that hopefully this Council will approve. The only issue that seems to be important to you is the demise of Mr. Minor working for the Town of Leesburg. He, like many others, voted for some of those on the Council. If he had known this was the central theme of why they think they were elected, they would never have got- ten his vote. He is very disappointed in all seven of them for only being able to seemingly handle one issue, and that is to get rid of Mr. Minor. As others have said, there are far greater issues facing this town in the future than getting rid of Mr. Minor. He can help you through this difficult time. He was embarrassed and ashamed to talk about this. MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING OF OCTOBER 17, 1990. Mr. Michael McMahan asked that the people here tonight listen to what is being said - not invent words and twist them. He and his wife were here to attend the Pub- lic Works Committee meeting on Potomac Crossing and had no way of knowing about the special meeting. At this stage, they don't have information to say whether Mr. Minor should stay here one more day, five years or whatever. Whatever has been going on in these executive sessions, starting since June 30th, etc., if he wants to resign or whatever, let him go ahead and do it. All you are doing is going around in circles. All they know is what goes on in public sessions. Whatever, let's get on with it. There are a lot of other issues. Mayor Sevila explained that this Notice of Special Meeting was circulated to their homes last night and the majority of the people here didn't know about it.; He also said that there are no secret meetings of Council - ever~ Bruce Roberts, here in support of Mr. Minor, said he has been a long-term vol- unteer on several commissions and committees throughout the years and he has develop~ a deep respect for Mr. Minor and the job he has done. He has been informed that the~.~ is a lot of support for his removal, but he doesn't see it here tonight. He felt it is unbelievable that he is submitting his resignation - he was really disappointed in what is going on here. Council owes the public an explanation of what is going on. Stanley Caulkins, who served sa a member of Council twenty-eight years ago and,as one of the first members of the Leesburg Airport Commission, felt this is a parallel to the rough road to establish the Leesburg Airport, which is a $40,000,000 asset now. Mr. Minor is traveling a rough road in the development of the Town of Lees- burg - it will be 25,000 to 30,000 people by the year 2,000 and the vision required to tackle this task is not something you make in six months to a year. He has no complaints about Mr. Minor. The parallel between the development of our Airport and its economic position in the Town and the position with Mr. Minor are about the same. He could forget some of his problems if some of the others could learn to work with him. A new resident of Leesburg, who did not give his name, said he opened a busi- ness here about two years ago and came here with the full intent to enjoy the pros- perity and the fine quality of life Leesburg gives most of us in the community. He felt Mr. Minor has played a big part in that. Councilmembers are leaders in our com- munity and now it is up to you to demonstrate your ability to work through this prob- lem and stand by your Town Manager. Let's make Leesburg a great place to live and prosper. Joe Ritenour felt that Ms. Bange, Mr. Webb, Mr. Kimball and Mr. Clem do not constitute a groun~swell for Mr. Minor's removal. He does not see any support what- soever for this position. He is personally offended and opposes this action and does s not know who they represent it is not the people in this room. He has been~criti- cal of this town and its policies over the last four years as anybod~ but he was born and raised in Leesburg and has dealt with Mr. Minor a lot. He has a special feeling for this town - it is where he grew up. Even though they disagree, there was never any doubt in his mind that Mr. Minor had the best interests of Leesburg in mind. This Council is in support of the Toll Road which, in his opinion, is the one savior economically for the Town of Leesburg. He was not sure that, if Mr. Minor had not been as involved as he was, the to,il road would have gotten this far. He was absolutely instrumental in getting the Toll Road extended to Leesburg. He agreed with that then and now. He did not understated where this opposition is coming from. The issue here is people vs. policy - Mr. Minor is not supposed to make policy - he is supposed to implement the Council's policy. If he doesn't implement the Council's policy, then there are grounds for removal. This town is teetering on the brink of economic collapse and we are sitting here ~orry£ng a~o~t personnel matters. The only thing he can say about government is tha~ Jt ~s ~c~s£stently incompetent. There is no positive that can come c~t o~ t~i~. Mr. ~i~¢~ ha~ the proper attitude in this critical time and has a t~e~an~o~s ~m,u~t ~f ~xpe~tls~. The best you could do would be to get another manager wit? the p~ot~r ~t ~i.o.te but no idea of what he is doing. This town an~ its peopla Je~p&~aae~y nee~ ~ome leadership right now. Me thi-nks Mr. Minor has the proper attitude and a~s~m~s the Council has the proper atti- tude. He supports Mr. Minor and felt this would be a horrible situation if he is removed and forced to leave. It would be a sad day for the Town of Leesburg and the timing is absolutely atrocious. Mayor Sevila personally thanked everyone here and said he is a bit over- whelmed by this, They represent a broad cross-section of our business and residential community. While their views aren't entirely complimentary of Council he has served on for a long time, they are in one hundred percent sync about Mr. Minor, his competence, his experience, his contribution, his ability and the need that we all have for him in this communit~as we face an economic crisis. He especi- ally appreciates your asking publicly many of the same questions he has been asking. MINUTES OF SPECIAL ~ETING OF OCTOBER 17, 1990 Ms. Ban~e responded to the questions and remarks that have been made. In the election in May, she did not take office with the idea they were going to fire the Town Manager, although there were a lot of rumors. There was a special meeting on June 30 to that effect and they were allowed to sit in on that meeting as elected officials. The two things she heard most during the elections were "The Town Mana- ger's got to go" and "Dodona Manor is not something the people of the Town of Lees- burg can afford." She did not feel she would ever want to fire somebody on the ba- sis of just that - that is not her style. She started doing lots of research, lots of listening to see where things could happen that might make things better for the Town of Leesburg. Very shortly after the fiDst of July, she started getting lots of calls from people in support of the Town Manager. She responded as best she could and said "Until I knbw what his managerial style is and what is going on, I cannot respond to that and I certainly am not in here to fire him." They have had several meetings (there was no set meeting for a planning session for the Council, other than to assign the committee members, etc.) In her research, she has had some volun- teers who helped her go through a lot of old minutes from the Town, they have gone through the Town Code she believes in doing her "homework". She found out lots of things - she found that, from the very beginning, Mr. Minor opposed Dodona Manor. He said the Town couldn't afford it either. She believes in giving credit where credit is due, and she feels this is the case. There are several other things she has found out one was that Mr. Minor has never been given any kind of written evaluation, in fact, there is no criteria in the Town for the Town Manager's evalu- ation. She paid her own expenses to go to a meeting in August to the Virginia Munici- pal League - she sat in on every meeting. She picked up a lot of good information. She then talked to people from the Virginia Municipal League to find out some more information on Town Codes, Town Managers, evaluation, grievance policies, many kinds of things. She spent two long days - she skipped lunch so she could have appoint- ments to go through some of these things. She believes in doing her homework. She said she is not a politician, she is an elected citizen of the Town of Leesburg hopefully to do what is best for the Town of Leesburg. A few weeks ago, in one of their meetings, they said they were going to have a meeting the next week and dis- cuss criteria for the evaluation of the Town Manager. They were also going to dis- cuss somg~hort-term goals, and the following week invite Jeff in and go through these things with him until they can have a workshop to set some long-term goals. Mr. Clem called on Monday and asked if she got her packet. She did. He asked if the listing for the executive session was broad enough? It said they were going to discuss the evaluation criteria for the Town Manager. They spent a lot of time on this - talking about personnel - not Town Policy. She did not know. Mr. Clem said he called the Town Office to find out if, in fact, this is broad enough or if we needed to add that they were going to discuss these goals. They were trying to adhere to Town Code. She has been reading the Town Code and carrying it with her so she has it available if needed. Sometime that same day, Mayor Sevila called and said they were going to talk about evaluation criteria for the Town Manager. She said this is correct and they will discuss some other things so they could invite Jeff in and talk about these things next week. That was as much as she knew about it at that point. Later, she found he had also called Mr. Clem, and Mr. Webb later and something to the effect that "Are you all going in to fire Jeff?"That afternoon she started getting phone calls from people all over town. All day Tuesday and Tues- day evening she had people either calling or dropping in to see her. All day Wed- nesday, the day of the Council meeting, she had people coming in but, the second time, several people told her the Mayor had asked them to call. One man said that,"when they were helping Bob on Jeff back in July" - those were his very words. Her feel- ing about this is (and a couple of other things came out that were not particularly complimentary to our Mayor because of the calls) that she would like to get about the Town business. Jeff's family has gone through hell since May because of all the rumors and ali the talking that has gone on. What she is doing (and what she has done up to this point) £s certainly not being done lightly because she has no feeling. She il ~ookin~ ~t two things: What is best, as she sees it, for the Tow~ cf ]eesl:r~ ~nd wh~t i~ ~e 0t for the Minor family at this point? She did not believe it is f~.i~ t) a.lo~ tai.3 to continue. If she thought that what has been said ~r, tonlgLt ~nd w~a~ ~h~ has said would stop it, she would say "Let's re- consiaer." S~e dzdn't oeiieve this is the case - she doesn't think it's going to stop. The fact is that this Council needs to build up some trust. As she has said to the Mayor, if he had that feeling, why didn't he ask her and pull the Council together and talk about that this night instead of getting out in the community and stirring it up - that shows a lack of trust in them (the Council), a lack of faith in their ability to do the things that need to be done. Her feeling is "Is compro- mise only his way?" If Mr. Minor's going will enable them to get about the Town's business, then she feels this is where they have to go. That's where she is today. She spent an hour and a half with Mr. Minor on Monday, hoping MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING OF OCTOBER 17, 1990 we could come to some kind of compromise. They talked (and she felt they had a productive session) - some good things and some not so good things came out of it. She respects him for the decision and the position he has taken because he also seems to be not only interested in his family's welfare, but in the welfare of the Town of Leesburg in feeling that if he gets out of the way, maybe this Council can get themselves together. Maybe they can build up some trust. That's where s~is she appreciates every one's concerns, all that they have said and believes that, if they are going to be able to get away from talking about personnel, they are go- ing to have to move forward. Thank you. The question pf whether or not Council has asked for Mr. Minor's resignation was asked. Ms. Ba~ge said they are willing to accept his resignation. Mayor Sevila said that they, as a Council, have not asked for his resignation. Ms. Bani said they are giving him the opportunity to resign, rather than to remove him. She was speaking for herself. A member of the Press asked Ms. Bange why she want~ Mr. Minor to resign? She replied that, if she felt Mr. Minor's staying on would resolve the problems of the Town and they would be able to get about their busi- ness, she would not have that problem. She has been researching and trying to do her homework and do what she hopes is best for the Town of Leesburg. There were other remarks and questions from the press. Ms. Bange said that, actually, the Town Charter states that the Town Manager serves at the pleasure of the Town Council. Mr. Galloway said that, every time you get ready to go into a business meeting, you get into this discussion about firing the Town Manager. With every- thing else that is going on, this is absolutely ridiculous. Mr. Clem called for the question. Mr. Mullis said that, so far as the Toll Road Corporation of Virginia is concerned, Leesburg is looking toward a lot of economic development in this area. People are asking what it is like to do business in Leesburg. You should be rallying around the flag and get to the business this evening this will have a major impact in the future. It was suggested that the simplest way to put this behind them completely for the forseeable future is for one of the four that are supporting this resignation - then it is behind you. Mr. Ritenour said you could not have any more supportive comments than this you couldn't have a greater majority of the comments being positive. Your minds seem to be made up - why did you waste their time? The comments made tonight were supportive - nobody was negative. This made no difference to them - it is a sad commentary. Who are you representing? Ms. Bange said they thought they were representing the people of the Town of Leesburg. Some- one in the audience asked just where this all started. Mr. Galloway said he appreciates Ms. Bange's honesty, but he would like to hear from the other three who are voting Mr. Minor out. Others felt the same way and that the citizens of Leesburg are owed that. This has a major impact on them as a town. Mr. Kimball assured everyone here tonight that their comments do not fall on deaf ears. He is personally very sensitive to what they are about - it is not an easy time for anybody. This also is not a public hearing. Mr. Lovin said at a former public hearing that we do not vote by an applause meter. We dop't. Have we made up our minds? He was not sure - he knows what he feels ~bout the issue. He echoes Ms. Bange's comments about the fact that we seem to have gotten crosswise with the people issue. It is time to get on with the business of the town. It is a very viable town and it will continue. In his business, they change managers not infrequently - it is done very successfully. Your p~sition is well-stated - it's very clear. It is interesting that we see s~ch a body of ,.itizens here for this issue when we have many very serious issues c,nfro~tJng the town - he sees very few of them out for that, except when it c~,mes ~o th~ so c~l]ed "nimby" projects. This is a rather unique small-town p 'ocas3. W~ 'ye heard comments about how we are growing, and indeed we are, b' t it s ~t' 1- sm~ll-tewn process that enables them to gather together and exchange views with one another. He believes Mr. Minor has some very competent technical abilities (he has stated this to him personally and in executive ses- sions~. However, he thinks his managerial skills are lacking. Therefore, it is time for a change. He hears from a lot of different segments of the community, not only the business community. This is not an act of support situation. A lot of people spoke tonight that don't know what is going on. Most of us who have lived here for a period of time went through a transition some six years ago. MINUTES PF SPECIAL MEETING OF OCTOBER 17, 1990. Tom Jewell was personally offended by Mr. Kimball's remarks -he is volunteer- ing time working with other things in the town at the time of Council meetings. For him to imply that they are not doing things for this town is offensive and extreme. Mr. Kimball said he did not say that Mr. Jewell was doing nothing for the town - not at all. Mr. Ritenour said if Council is not responsive, what difference does it make? Mr. Kimball said he has never had difficulty in stand- ing up for his beliefs, and he will do so. He has heard a number of them already articulate what the vote is - so we are all very transparent people. Mr. Ritenour asked why they were invited to come here tonight? Mr. Kimball said they were not asked - the schedule is published. He was called to a meeting on June 30 at 12 midnight by Mr. Mi~or, Ms. Forester, Mr. Lovin and Mr. Tolbert He wanted a docu- ment signed that allowed a special executive session. Mr. Lovin said that, for the record, he was notified at the same time the rest of them were. O Z Mr. Webb said that, at least fifty percent of the people who voted for him told him personally that there were several things they hoped, if he was elected to Council, he would try to do something about. One of them was the way the town was being run, not only from a Council standpoint, but from a town manager's standpoint. That is exactly where he stands tonight. Mr. Ritenour said there were times when he was not enamored with Jeff but when he looks at it now and economic conditions, it is totally changed today. Mr. Webb felt that, if these people have changed their minds, he believed he would be hearing from them. Mr. Ritenour said this is a sad day - this is the way they used to run town govern- ment. Dr. Bruce Roberts said the only reason he has heard as a reason to get rid of Mr. Minor is "poor management skills". He asked if councilmembers have talked to the town employees there are a number of them here tonight? Mr. Webb and others did not feel this is a fair question. Mr. Kimball said it was pointed out to him when he first came on Council that the employees do not work for the Coun- cil, but rather for the Manager - any contact they would have would go through him. Mr. Lovin said this is a fundamental policy he supports - he doesn't want to make personnel changes or go over Mr. Minor's head to tell the directors what to do. His man is Jeff Minor and that's the way he's going to do it. Coun- cil doesn't always agree with that and he's going to talk with Jeff, or whoever is sitting in that seat - he doesn't think it is his job to talk to these people. His job is to set the policy and the direction of this town - he would like to do that. It is unfortunate that they have not had an opportunity to do that, but he agrees wholeheartedly with Mr. Green's comments that the Town Council should set the goals and objectives - not find a scapegoat for its inability to form 'a con- sensus to town direction. Mr. Ritenour commented on Ms. Bange's comment that there is an absence of standards for Mr. Minor's performance so that he can be evaluated. It was a recog- nition at first and a concession tonight in that we still do not have any standards. She was very perceptive in realizing that we need something like that to keep some- body on - to know whether they are doing a good job. You also need something like that to fire somebody. You never had any standards for Jeff, but you fired him anyway - that's irresponsible. Mayor Sevila said the need for standards arose as a result of discussions around Jun~30 - July 1 when the new Council was taking over. The issue was raised then as to Mr. Minor's future - it was agreed then that his future would depend upon his performance against some standards to be developed. Council has, since the first meeting in September, been discussing an attempt to establish an evaluation process. We are no closer to it today than we were then (July 1). Mr. Thomas was glad to hear that - this must be a terrible feeling for Mr. Minor the only thing Council can do and look at itself in the mirror is to have a "stay of execution" and give him a six-mo~ th r,~prieve This is a "black eye" on Leesburg and they are embarr~.s~:e~ eve? i:. Be ~pie~ l~d to them to reconsider. He asked for some logic from uh,~ %.ho ar~ 'otin[ to ~c- cept Mr. Minor's resignation. Mr. Clem replied that "M". Mi~,o~ s~r"es pleasure of the Council." Mr. Ritenour considered th~s "a£rug&ace ~t the highest level." Mr. Galloway said that, before he would fire somebody, he does evaluate them and at least tell them where he wants to see them go to improve or change - to give them a chance before he would let them go - let thedknow what to expect. Mr. Caulkins felt it is time to move the question. MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING OF OCT~BER 17, 1990 90-263 - RESOLUTION - ACCEPTANCE OF THE RESIGNATION OF JEFFREY H. MINOR, AUTHORIZING SEVERANCE COMPENSATION AND APPROVING A CONSULTING AGREEMENT On motion of Mr. Clem, seconded by Mr. Webb, the following resolution was proposed: RESOLVED that the Town Council of the Town of Leesburg accepts the resig- nation of Jeffrey H. Minor, with regret, from the position of Town Manager effective October 31, 1990, pursuant to the Town Charter. Severance compen- sation for Mr. Minor shall be: a~ The. sum of $21,088, plus bo Compensation at his FY 91 pay rate for all unused accrued vacation leave as of December 31, 1990, and regular sick leave as of Decem- ber 31, 1990. Paid group health, disability, dental and life insurance policies for a period of six months from separation or until coverage is ob- tained by new employer, whichever occurs first. FURTHER RESOLVED that Mr. Minor is hereby appointed as Special Consultant to the town for a period of November 1, 1990 through March 31, 1991 for the lump sum payment of $10,000 payable in advance. These services shall con- sist of preparation of a management plan for the municipal parking facili- ty and for a Developer's Competition RFP for the Loudoun Street Infill, to ensure an orderly transition of government and other duties assigned by the Council. Mr. Minor may accept another position during this period. Mr. Minor was gratified for the people who came to speak on his behalf. The mo- tion warrants prepared remarks and he has none because, as of today, he had no idea how this would all evolve and end up. It has been an extremely trying period for his family and himself and for our employees - it has been extremely difficult for them as well. He believes his future in the Town of Leesburg is limited. The hope he had was to be able to phase himself out over a period of time and ha~ an opportunity to transition into the new building, etc., but he respects the decision of the majority of the Council and it is his firm belief that that is not possible. They have certainly considered the comments made by members of the audience and others, both tonight and up to this point. This is not the first time, he was sure, that this Council has heard from citizens about this position. He wants to avoid, more than anything else, a re currence of this meeting. You are all very busy people, you people lead very vibrant lives and have a lot of responsibilities. He cannot expect them, and this Council cannot expect them, to come to a meeting every two weeks to battle for his job. His opponents have been invited to do that. In fourteen years, he has enemies and he doesn't want to put his family - his children - through this. He is tired of seeing his picture in the paper (he is not very photogenic). He really believes this Council (all four members that have opposed him) has spoken candidly about his status. If he thought there was hope that he could, over the long haul, convert someone to be just a mild supporter of him, he would try to do that. He has tried, over the last few months, to do some things he felt were important to the new majority of the Council. He thinks this has made am impact and he thinks they are trying to be generous with him. He cannot oppose this resolution because he thinks it is the best hope for his family and himself. this is what he has to consider. God bless you. Mayor Sevila said he is not supporting this resolution for pretty obvious reasons. He has worked with Jeff, both as an assistant and during hfs tetur~ six years, plus now as Manager of the Town. In Leesburg he has nn.y w~,rk~d ~i:h two managers, but his employment as an attorney has brought him ~n c,,ntac %it ~ many others - his term on Council in Herndon brought him in cometic' with ~ven more. He agrees with whoever Adrian's friend and attorney is, wino told h~m that Jeff is the best that he's ever seen or dealt with. He is impressed by the com- ments tonight. He has been in touch with all of them from time to time over the last six years that Jeff has been manager, and probably even before that before he was manager. He hasn't always gotten the round praise and support. He prom- ised everybody he would listen and do something about it or take it up with him, etc. but, to see them all here tonight (and they are a broad cross-sectional representation of our community, business and residential) and supporting him in this way has really impressed him. It has impressed him that we are, in fact, on the verge of making a grave error. He has been absolutely impressed by Jeff's dignity and demeanor through what have been incredible personal times. It's true, we haven't gotten a lot of work done' since July 1 and it's true that the MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING OF OCTOBER 17, 1990. issue of Jeff's tenure and employment in this community seems to be a recurring thing, but it is a recurring thing because the three of them who support Jeff have refused to roll over and let it happen, right through tonight. And it's true that the four votes who have indicated prior to tonight their intention to support this resolution have the majority to make it happen. He will not support it - it doesn't represent his views, it doesn't represent what he be- lieves he was elected to do in this community - and that's represent the vast majority of the citizens and try to perform and carry out what he believes to be in the best interest of the citizens it doesn't represent that. He takes to heart what many of them have said about critical economic times that we are on the verge of encountering. We need expertise - we need experience, guidance and, most of all, ~e need a professional who knows this town and its processes intimately to help us through some tough times. There is nobody on this Council who has the expertise to do it and he will have a tough time putting a lot of trust in some brand new guy that comes rolling in here from who knows where across this country and expecting him both to learn this town and help us through these difficult times. He thanked the citizens who are here tonight he appre- ciates what they have said and still doesn't think their questions have been ans- wered and is not sure they ever will be. He will not support the resolution. The vote on the resolution was as follows: Aye: Councilmembers Bange, Clem, Kimball and Webb. Nay: Councilmembers Forester, Lovin and Mayor Sevila. Councilmember Forester echoed the sentiments of those here in the audience to- night. Since June 30th-July 1st, she has encouraged, she has pleaded, she has talked with every member of this Council in executive session and also outside of executive session every chance she has had that they need to get together as a Council and set policy, set an evaluation criteria and set out criteria to evaluate Mr. Minor within six months or within the fiscal year - that this Council had to take that initiative. If they felt that Mr. Minor did not reflect the philosophies of this Council, then it was up to this Council to give those philoso- phies to Mr. Minor. This has not happened. Last week they stayed here for a long time - they talked for two and one-half hours - they set October 27th from 9 to 1 as a goal-setting session where they were going to discuss not only the goals of this Council, but the evaluation procedure of the manager. They no sooner came out of that executive session than Mr. Webb made his motion to accept Mr. Minor's resignation - the resignation that was never submitted. That is the kind of prob- lems they are having as a Council - they can't even come to an understanding that they want to set goals and set up an evlauation criteria when four of the ~ouncil- members are too willing to "throw out the baby with the bath water." She did not support the resolution because she feels Mr. Minor is the best person for the job - she personally has not ever received one letter nor one phone call asking her to remove Mr. Minor or ask for his resignation. Since June 30th, she has not seen this great groun~swell, even in the newspapers, she would think they would have Letters from the Editor, people stomping down the street if this were such a great groun.~well and election issue. She hasn't seen that. No member of this Council has ever given her a reason for replacing Mr. Minor, except "he serves at our pleasure". It is not just to exercise her pleasure that she serves the Town of Leesburg, but she ~erves to reflect the desires of our citizens, business and development community. Not being p~ivy to the Town gos- sips and the grapevine, she voted what she considers to be~gest interests of this Town and not her pleasure. Councilmember Lovin said he ran fo~ this j~.b because he wanted to serve the community. Anybody that is elected to a pcsi'~i~n in Towr. Government should have as his first characteristic "honesty" ~nd ~e 'e~ is tb~ ~s honesty on all fronts. Be honest with himself, that he will ~a! t~e m, tcria[, ~e ~ill understand it, he will get guidance when he doesm'[ uader~ta~d an or!inance, to be prepared to come to these meetings. Thc o=b~r ~le~.~ept )f h, nes~y is ao~e~ty with your fel- low councilmembers because you are going to have to work together (you may not always agree, but you are going to have to work together]. The third thing is that you have to be honest with the people you represent - you have to tell them where you stand. You can't ride the fence and go for the political reason. Whatever is expedient to do - the political reason. He has tried to do that the last two and a half years, and he hopes to do that for the next year and a half. This characteristic of honesty - you do have to have honesty. He hopes they can move on and set these goal sessions. He is really sad that they had to bring a dead body in to satisfy the silent majority of Leesburg. On motion of Ms. Forester, seconded by Ms. Bange, the meeting was adjourned. ~o~ert m. ~evlza, mayor (This page intentionally left blank)