Residents seek formal apology and protections for volunteers after library-trustee removal

Two Falmouth District residents used the board public comment period on Jan. 7 to press the Stafford County Board of Supervisors for a formal apology and for procedural changes to protect citizen volunteers after the December removal of a library trustee.

Clayton Calvert spoke first and said he was following up on his Dec. 17 remarks about Mary Basile's removal from the Central Rappahannock Regional Library Board of Trustees. Calvert listed three requests Basile had presented previously: a formal apology from the board for the record, edits to the July 10 minutes that used the word "misconduct," and a process to protect future citizen volunteers from being accused without a clear path for defense or redress. Calvert told the board that, as of Jan. 7, only one of the three items had been addressed: the word "misconduct" had been removed from the public record. He said he and Basile remained disappointed that the board had not issued the apology they had asked for and that a board statement issued Dec. 17 had been delivered "in lieu of an apology." Calvert asked the board to place protections for citizen volunteers on a future agenda.

Mary Basilia of the Falmouth District reiterated those points and said she appreciated the individual apologies some supervisors had offered on Dec. 17 but remained disappointed that the board as a body had not issued the apology she expected. She asked the clerk to inform her when the board would take up a process to protect citizen volunteers and said she would continue to press the issue until such protections were put in place.

Board response and context

Speakers in public comment named individual supervisors who had apologized during the Dec. 17 meeting. The board did not take immediate action on the requests during the Jan. 7 meeting; the speakers asked the clerk to schedule discussion of a volunteer-protection process for a future meeting. Supervisor Diggs, who was elected chair during the meeting, was thanked by Calvert and Basilia for offering a personal apology at the Dec. 17 meeting.

Why it matters

Volunteer boards and commissions rely on citizen participation. Speakers asked the board to adopt clearer procedures to prevent volunteers from being publicly accused of misconduct without a defined remedial process. The request would require administrative review and, if pursued, a formal agenda item for board deliberation.

Ending

Speakers said they will return if the board does not place the requested protections on a future agenda; they asked the clerk to notify them when such an agenda item is scheduled.