Committee refuses jail resolution

By Sally Voth - svoth@nvdaily.com

WOODSTOCK -- A Shenandoah County Republican committee refused a Woodstock woman's request to take an anti-regional jail resolution to the convention floor late Monday.

Cindy Bailey, who was the chief jailer at the Shenandoah County Jail before her retirement several years ago, had asked for the resolution, which accused the Board of Supervisors of being fiscally irresponsible and being misled into approving the estimated $89 million RSW Regional Jail project.

The resolution called for all county-elected officials, from the supervisors all the way up to the governor, to "actively" oppose the jail.

Mike Monahan, who chaired the rules committee during Monday's convention, said the evening's proposed rules included a requirement that for any resolution to be presented, it had to first be approved by the resolutions committee.

This rule - which outgoing Republican Chairman Jeremy McCleary said was a standard one - was protested by some at the convention, which led to a proposed amendment to the rule being voted on in the caucuses.

The result of that vote was 141 in favor of sticking to the rules, and 86 against.

At about midnight on Monday, Beverley Fleming, who was chairing the resolutions committee, said the committee didn't have any resolutions to put on the floor. The three members of the committee -- Fleming, Sheriff Timothy C. Carter and Nelly Long -- voted unanimously, according to Fleming.

The announcement was met with protest from Jason Perry of Toms Brook.

"I spent all this time sitting here," he called out. "We were supposed to talk about this. That's what was said at the beginning of this meeting, that those resolutions would be discussed. Now you come out and tell us that they will not be discussed."

Fleming said his committee's task was to report whether any submitted resolutions should be brought out, and certain criteria is used to determine that. These included resolutions to recognize a deceased party member and recognition for serious accomplishments.

Bailey also asked for the resolution to be heard.

"If we reject the [decision] of the resolutions committee,do we then get to hear the resolution?" Rick Litten, of New Market, asked.

Parliamentarian Ken Klinge, who had said several of the speakers spoke out of order, said the answer to Litten's question was no.