Martinsville council suspends and moves to remove city manager; interim appointed

Martinsville City Council voted to suspend City Manager Aretha Ferrell Benavides and authorized the city attorney to deliver written notice of specific reasons for her removal, with the removal to be final 60 days after that notice. The council also named Rob Venture interim city manager.

The resolution presented to the council states that Benavides’ termination, voted on Aug. 7, is ratified and that she “shall be considered suspended ... effective immediately and is relieved of all duties and authorized authority as city manager pending the effective date” of the removal. The resolution directs the city attorney to provide written notice of the specific reasons for removal and makes the termination effective 60 days from the date of that notice.

An unidentified council member who spoke in favor of the removal said the manager “did not comply with the parameters she was given” and argued the city had been placed at risk. “We would have lost millions,” the speaker said, urging that action was in the community’s interest. Another council member said the council had rushed to a decision and preferred a state-led investigation before finalizing the action.

A roll call was held after a motion to call the question; the motion and related action passed as recorded in the meeting transcript with three affirmative votes and one opposed vote from Mayor Jones; one council member was absent. The council recorded the action following the meeting’s closed session and certified that the closed session complied with the Code of Virginia provisions cited at the start of the meeting.

City officials said the attorney will issue the written notice required by the city charter; the interim city manager will handle day-to-day operations while the notice period runs. The council did not provide additional public details about the specific allegations in open session.