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Councilmember Aynor presides over special Purcellville meeting; lack of quorum stalls formal action
Summary
Councilmember Aynor was chosen chair for a special Aug. 10 Purcellville meeting about a council vacancy, but only three members attended so no binding appointment or vote could be taken; the council continued the meeting to Aug. 18 to meet a filing deadline.
Councilmember Aynor was nominated and approved as chair at the start of the special Purcellville Town Council meeting on Aug. 10, but the body lacked a quorum and could not take formal action.
The council held the meeting to review options for filling a recently created vacancy and to hear public comment on the town's next steps. Town Attorney Robert Sprawl told the council a petition for a writ of special election must be filed by Aug. 20 and that the council would have 45 days from the vacancy to appoint someone if it chooses that route. Because the group present did not constitute a quorum, members agreed to continue the meeting to Aug. 18 at 6 p.m. to set formal direction.
"So thank you for electing me chair for this meeting," Aynor said after the body approved the nomination by voice. The chair later said, "Since we're not allowed to take any action tonight, the purpose of this evening was to speak with our town attorney to walk us through the process of what happens next."
The council did not take a formal vote on appointment or petitioning the court during the Aug. 10 session; instead members asked staff to prepare an actionable calendar and the attorney said he would prepare the petition for filing as soon as he received formal direction at the continued meeting.
The continuation was scheduled to give the council a chance to assemble a quorum and, if desired, direct the town attorney to file the petition before the statutory deadline.
