Jefferson County businesses stalled with commission at a deadlock over unfilled board seats
CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. (DC News Now) — For two months the Jefferson County Commission has been at a stalemate, leading to a gridlock.
Two of the four commissioners are refusing to show up for work because they do not like the recommendation of the Republican County Executive Committee to fill the fifth seat, which is vacant.
Without a quorum of three commissioners, no county business can be transacted.
“We are in trouble in many areas of our county right now,” commission president Steve Stolipher, said. “We have not been able to do work for two months.”
This issue causes vacancies in the 911 call center to go unfilled, grant applications miss deadlines, IT maintenance contracts to protect against malware go unrenewed and more.
The county prosecutor is taking Commissioners Tricia Jackson and Jennifer Krouse to court for not showing up to work.
Locals are not feeling the best about this predicament.
“I was going to volunteer to to into the commission office and take their place,” said Carroll Dell, a retiree on a stroll along Washington Street where the county courthouse sits.
Another retiree, Don Orser, compares the county dysfunction to the recent chaos among House Republicans on Capitol Hill.
“It seems that civilization is collapsing around us,” he said.
According to Bob Trainor, the mayor of Jefferson County’s seat, Charles Town, Jackson and Krouse are in violation of the law and should be held accountable.
“The [state’s] Supreme Court will appoint a three-judge panel to determine whether the two commissioners refusing to do their job can be, will be, removed from office,” Stolipher said.
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