Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 21, 1995 TAG: 9506210121
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ROCKY MOUNT LENGTH: Medium
The duo took a walk Tuesday and left three of their colleagues sitting stone-faced.
On the supervisors' agenda was a proposal to give county employees July 3, a Monday, off in addition to July 4.
Angell and Quinn pointed out that the board already set county holidays this year - designating only July 4 as a day off - and that the calendar shouldn't be changed.
But Supervisor Homer Murray had a different opinion and started to offer a motion adding July 3 as a holiday.
Before Murray could get a sentence out of his mouth, Quinn and Angell stood and headed for the door.
"You'll have to excuse me, Mrs. Chairman," Angell said to board member Lois English on his way out.
Because two other supervisors were absent from Tuesday's meeting, that left only three at the table - one less than the four required to form a quorum. The departure of Angell and Quinn prevented a public vote on the matter, and the meeting was recessed according to the board's rules of order.
Asked if she had just witnessed a political ploy, English simply nodded her head.
Said Angell shortly after the meeting: "Hubert wasn't feeling too good, and I wanted to follow him out to make sure he was OK. Didn't you see how pale he was?"
Murray, 87, said he's witnessed a similar move once before during his 16 years on the board.
Several years ago, Murray said, a supervisor excused himself and refused to come back to the table to form a quorum until another board member agreed to withdraw a motion.
"We sat there for an hour and a half," Murray said.
Also Tuesday, the board:
Formed the county's first economic development commission. It will be made up of 15 members - seven with voting power and eight ex-officio members. The voting members include Warner Dalhouse, chairman of the board of First Union National Bank of Virginia.
Agreed to consider a request from Sheriff W.Q. Overton to place deputies and jail employees on the county's pay scale. Overton said he is losing quality people to other localities because Franklin County's salaries aren't competitive. He said there is no scale in place now to give deputies and jail personnel - considered appointees and not employees under current guidelines - adequate compensation for experience and qualifications. "Morale isn't very good right now," he said.
Approved a funding request for a new Virginia Cooperative Extension Service agent to help tobacco farmers in Franklin and Pittsylvania counties. The position is contingent upon Pittsylvania County's paying 75 percent of the agent's salary - a figure based on the number of tobacco farmers in each county. Michael Geisinger, regional extension director, said the agent will help fill the void to be left after the August retirement of Franklin County agriculture extension agent Louis Schiemann.
by CNB