Blacksburg council appoints Joel Goodhart and Andrew Kasoff to interim seats after residents raise transparency concerns

The Blacksburg Town Council voted to appoint Joel Goodhart and Andrew Kasoff to two interim council seats during its meeting, after residents raised objections about how candidates were selected.

Mayor or presiding officer read a statement explaining the statutory process governing interim appointments, saying vacancies arose after the mayor assumed office and after Liam Watson’s resignation and that state law requires the council to act within 45 days or the Montgomery County Circuit Court assumes responsibility. The presiding officer also said the council held a public hearing on Jan. 13 and instructed the town attorney to petition for a writ of election so the special election may be held during the November 2026 general election.

During the citizen-comment period, Elaine Jenkins said she had “hoped that after the January 20 town council meeting that full information on all persons considered or interested in the open town council seats would be shared with the public,” and added, “I can still only conclude that the reason for this lack of transparency is that you prefer to handpick your appointees.” Jenkins named several past candidates and vote totals from prior elections as part of her argument that voters’ preferences were being ignored.

Steve Gillespie, a resident who followed Jenkins’ remarks, defended the council’s actions: “I think that the procedures that you followed for your appointments are legal,” he said, and urged residents who disagree with appointees to run in the November election.

Council members debated the choice at length. Some members said they were uncomfortable with how quickly names coalesced and urged a more open process like the one Christiansburg used; others described the interim seats as short-term appointments and said closed-session discussions were appropriate for candidate selection. One council member noted the interim term would be approximately 10 months and framed the decision as a short-term hiring choice: selecting people “that are generous with their time, generous with their skills,” and who will show up and do the work.

A motion to appoint Joel Goodhart and Andrew Kasoff was made and seconded, the clerk called the roll, and the motion passed. The transcript records the roll-call procedure and the motion’s passage but does not provide a complete, clearly labeled individual vote tally in sequence; the presiding officer announced that the motion passes. The presiding officer also announced a swearing-in ceremony immediately after the meeting for the two appointees.

The council stated that the appointees would serve only until the special election and certification of results, when the seats will be filled by the voters’ choices. The presiding officer said the original terms end on 12/31/2027.