History was the topic of the night for Stafford supervisors on Tuesday, as they elected a historic chairman and paid homage to a past elected official.
With little discussion, the county Board of Supervisors voted 4-3 to elect Supervisor Deuntay Diggs to be chairman for this year. Supervisor Meg Bohmke, who was chairwoman last year, cast one of the dissenting votes along with Supervisors Darrell English and Crystal Vanuch.
Diggs, who is also a Stafford sheriff’s deputy, will be the first openly gay chairman in the county’s history.
It was the latest in a series of firsts for Diggs. He was the first openly gay cadet and graduate of Virginia Military Institute, and the first gay county deputy.
He also is known to some as the “Dancing Deputy” for his artistic expression, which was featured on the NBC TV show “America’s Got Talent.”
But after Tuesday’s meeting, Diggs said that though he acknowledges his historic turn, his main interest lies in getting the supervisors to unite as a team that works for the common good of the locality.
“That’s my focus: teamwork,” he said. “And then all the celebrations and stuff, we can do that later after we get some things accomplished.”
The supervisors also agreed, 5-2, with Bohmke and Vanuch casting the dissenting votes, to have Supervisor Tinesha Allen continue this year as vice chairwoman. That means this year will also mark the first time that Stafford has African-Americans in both the chair and vice chair positions.
Diggs’ profession came up in another portion of the meeting, as the supervisors discussed approval of their Code of Performance for 2025. That document, which is approved annually, is the board’s commitment to conduct county business in a professional manner.
Vanuch said she wanted to make an addition to the code that would say county employees who also serve as supervisors must take leave for board meetings, activities, work or constituent outreach and submit that leave request to the county administrator for public review.
Such a change would apply to only Diggs and English, who works as a civil process deputy for the Stafford Sheriff’s Office.
Vanuch said she had no inkling that anyone had done wrong; rather, she simply wanted to ensure supervisor transparency for the public.
“That’s really where I’m coming from on it,” she said.
The supervisors agreed to continue discussing the performance code at a future work session.
A legacy of work in Stafford
The board also remembered Lyle Ray Smith, who served as a Stafford supervisor from 1990 to 1998.
Smith, who was 93, died Jan. 2, and Bohmke read a statement about his legacy of service.
“Many of you may know him as one-half of the namesake of Dixon-Smith Middle School, but his contributions to our county extend far beyond that distinction,” she said.
Smith was the first principal of Grafton Village Elementary School, and he was also a member of Germanna Community College’s board.
“He played a pivotal role in expanding Germanna near Stafford Hospital, ensuring greater access to higher education for our community,” Bohmke said. “Perhaps his roots in the volunteer state of Tennessee inspired his lifelong commitment to service. Mr. Smith’s unwavering dedication to the education of Stafford County’s children impacted thousands of lives. His work on the Board of Supervisors and his love for this county demonstrated his deep commitment to our shared future.”
Boards and commissions
The board also voted Tuesday to appoint supervisors to various community boards and commissions.
Aquia District Supervisor Monica Gary cast dissenting votes against every appointment, saying they were out of order because they excluded her.
The supervisors voted last month to censure Gary for “engaging in disorderly behavior and misconduct.” She was also removed from all the boards and commissions on which she served as a supervisor.
The move came after Stafford resident Mary Becelia was removed from the Central Rappahannock Regional Library Board over the summer on Gary’s recommendation.
Gary then attempted in September to rescind Becelia’s removal but was voted down.
Becelia, who attended Tuesday’s meeting with her husband, said that she’s still waiting for a formal apology from the board — though individual supervisors have apologized to her — and for the supervisors to put measures in place to prevent such a situation from occurring again.
