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Tazewell council announces three applicants for vacant seat; schedules executive-session review
Summary
The Town of Tazewell announced three applicants for the council seat vacated by Jody Beasley and set an executive session for council review and possible interview scheduling; no appointment was made at the Jan. 5 meeting.
The Town of Tazewell announced three applicants for the council seat vacated by Jody Beasley and moved into an executive session to review resumes, the council said at its Jan. 5 meeting.
The meeting’s presiding official read a public notice saying the town had received resumes from Elizabeth Haggish, Aaron Gillespie and Renee Hayter and that applications from residents within the town corporate limits would be accepted until 10:00 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. The notice said the appointed member would be sworn in by the clerk of the circuit court and serve until a special election on Nov. 3, 2026, with the full term through Dec. 31, 2028.
The notice also cited Code of Virginia subsection 24.2-228, saying submitted resumes will be available for public inspection at Town Hall. The council announced it would review applicants during an executive session scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at 6:30 p.m., and set times for interviews with select applicants if needed.
The Chair opened the floor to public comment; a meeting participant asked, “Who is Renee Hayter?” then declined to comment further. With no substantive public comment offered, the Chair closed the public-hearing portion of the meeting.
Following the public hearing, council members moved into executive session to review applicants and related matters. After reconvening, the council read a certification resolution required by the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Va. Code §2.1-344.1) and took a roll-call certification vote. Council member King, Council member Fox, Council member Cline, Council member Haggish and Council member Woods each responded in the affirmative and the certification carried; the council stated there was no action resulting from that executive session.
The council did not select or appoint a candidate at the Jan. 5 meeting. The public notice states the chosen applicant will be sworn in at the next regular Town Council meeting after council makes its selection.
