Chair Slaven, Vice Chair Carter approved by Augusta Supervisors

Chair Jeff Slaven and Vice Chair Pam Carter will lead the Augusta County Board of Supervisors in 2024.

Supervisor Butch Wells nominated former vice chair Slaven to serve as chair, while former Chair Michael Shull nominated Carter to serve as vice chair of the board. Both nominees were confirmed, but not without fireworks.

Chair Jeff Slaven, under questioning, didn't know much

Supervisor Scott Seaton had several questions for Slaven before the vote.

“Are you under investigation for retaliating against a private citizen who spoke before this board?” asked Seaton.

“Oh, I was wondering when you were going to bring that one up,” Slaven said. “I don’t know, I’ve never been contacted by anybody officially from any law enforcement agencies saying I was under investigation.”

The June 21 inspection of the animal shelter is at the root of this line of questioning. During the June 28 meeting, several speakers voiced support for Seaton’s research into the animal shelter fees. Seaton asked Slaven if one of the speakers performed the inspection, and Slaven replied “It’s not my knowledge that she did or didn’t. I don’t know."

Seaton asked if Slaven met with officials with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) “to discuss a private individual.” Slaven stated he did not meet with anyone at the VDACS office. Seaton asked if Slaven “boasted” to someone about having the business card of an official in VDACS in order to speak about the job of a person who spoke before the board. Slaven stated he met with VDACS “not about the speaker’s job” but about “the county inspection and our relationship between the county and VDACS.”

After the speaker approached the board, Slaven said, "I never made another call about it."

Slaven asked Seaton if he was "conducting an investigation?" Seaton declined to answer, saying he was not the nominee for chair.

Slaven was approved to serve as chair in a five to one vote, with Seaton voting against and Slaven recusing himself from the vote.

Vice Chair Pam Carter voted for herself

Slaven's recusal is in contrast with the vice chair vote, where Carter was confirmed based on her own vote.

After Carter was nominated, supervisor Carolyn Bragg spoke against her as vice chair, suggesting there were conversations about another candidate for the position before the meeting.

“I am going to say that I was a little surprised by this nomination,” said Bragg. “I know that, at some point, it was not a consideration. In a very short period of time, there appears to have been a 180 turn, which is interesting. I don’t know what transpired there, I was not part of any conversation. Previously I have stated this is not something I would support as a choice, and today I maintain my position.”

Carter did not offer more detail to The News Leader when further asked beyond saying the discussions were about the “selection of the seat.”

Seaton, Bragg, and Supervisor Gerald Garber voted against, while Slaven, Shull, and Wells voted in favor, leading to a three-to-three tie. The board’s rules state that a tie means the vote fails, meaning Carter did not have the votes. However, the situation changed before the discussion would turn to what to do next.

“Given past practices, I would like to change my vote,” said Carter.

“Can you do that?” Bragg asked. “After the vote has been made?”

“Absolutely,” Carter replied.

County Attorney James Benkahla, when asked for confirmation, stated, “She clearly didn’t vote, so I think she can.”

With that, Carter changed her vote and was confirmed as vice chair. After the vote, Bragg said, “That’s an interesting practice.”

When speaking with The News Leader after the meeting, Carter celebrated her return to the position.

“I served as vice chair but it was during the pandemic,” Carter said. “Business was nowhere near what it normally is. It’ll be nice to serve as vice chair in a year that’s, hopefully, not a pandemic.”

When asked by The News Leader why she thought the vote was split, Carter said “I really don’t have any clue.”

Seaton asks policy questions

Seaton also had questions for both candidates before the vote.

First he asked if they would support body cameras for the Augusta County Sheriff’'s Office. “No sir,” replied Slaven. Carter asked Seaton to examine her track record and confirmed she would vote in favor of body cameras.

Next, Seaton asked when the candidate learned “the county was charging was charging illegal fines and fees at the animal shelter?” Both candidates said they found out when the rest of the board found out in 2023.

Finally, he asked if either candidate would support streaming the Augusta County Board of Zoning Appeals and the Planning Commission online, similar to how the board streams its meetings. Both candidates felt that policy should be up to the respective board members. Carter also suggested if voters would like to see those meetings streamed, then they should approach the board and make the request.

More: Keeping it civil: Lyndhurst animal shelter could soon change fees for impoundment, civil penalties

More: Augusta Board of Supervisors debate police body cameras, address officers on leave

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Slaven, Carter new leadership team for Augusta Supervisors