No sooner had Fredericksburg Mayor Kerry Devine finished reading a proclamation for former Ward 3 councilor Tim Duffy Tuesday night than she walked away to retrieve a larger blue folder.
“They upstaged us a little with the size,” Devine said, opening the document.
Patroned by Del. Joshua Cole (D-Fredericksburg) and Del. Bobby Orrock (R-Spotsylvania), House Resolution No. 491 served as the General Assembly’s recognition of Duffy, a longtime public servant who stepped down in December for personal reasons.
“WHEREAS, Timothy Duffy’s commitment to education and community engagement has left a lasting impact on Fredericksburg, reflecting his dedication to the city’s growth and well-being,” the resolution reads in part.
Later in Tuesday’s meeting, Devine offered an update on filling Duffy’s seat, a process that must be completed within 45 days of the vacancy, according to the city charter. The application period opened on Jan. 1, with 14 applicants submitting resumes.
“We got a wonderful, healthy response from people,” Devine said. “It’s very nice to see that, we don’t always have so many candidates for positions. It was nice to have a healthy influx of people who were interested.”
In alphabetical order, the applicants are: Sean Cole; Jesus Dominguez; Susanna Finn; Eugene Gormley; Thomas Johnson; Matthew Kelly; Avery LaBelle; Evan Lawson; Shawn McDonald; John Simpson; Laura Matter; Rene Rodriguez; Pamela Scruggs and Shaliek Tarpley.
After wrapping up the rest of its business, city council went into closed session to discuss which candidates it plans to interview. Devine said they planned to conduct closed interviews with “up to four or five candidates” on Feb. 4, between 1-9 p.m. at the Fredericksburg Police Department.
The following week, said Devine, council plans to install its chosen candidate during the Feb. 11 regular meeting.
Federal freeze gets officials’ attention
The national headlines about a potential freeze on all federal grants and loans have commanded the attention of city officials. Councilor Jon Gerlach (Ward 2) added an item to Tuesday’s agenda to discuss the potential effects of such a freeze.
Noting that the city receives federal funding for programs and schools, Gerlach asked Deputy City Manager Mark Whitley to return with information on possible implications for the city’s budget.
City Manager Tim Baroody replied that he and Whitley have had “multiple conversations” about a freeze involving multiple departments and the city attorney’s office.
“We’re very engaged and trying to keep up with the news,” Baroody said. “It is moving quickly. We’re happy to report back to you when we have good, solid information about where this all ends.”
City manager apologizes for ‘complications’ with Learning Lane repair
Baroody acknowledged that repairs to Learning Lane, an entry point for Lafayette Elementary and Walker-Grant Middle schools, have posed unforeseen challenges.
Earlier this month, the city issued an update stating that repairs are now anticipated to be completed in April, long after the initial anticipated timeframe of August-October 2024.
“We have taken a lot of time on the project and have not hit the target that was first projected,” Baroody said. “We do apologize for that, and we do appreciate the citizenry being somewhat patient with us in this process… It’s been a complicated project, and we have dealt with many complications.”
Deputy City Manager David Brown explained those complications, which included the relocation of sanitary sewer mains that got in the way of repairs. Removal of old corrugated pipes led to a determination that much of the ground was “super saturated,” said Brown, making it unsuitable for building upon.
“The community really has been supportive of this,” said Councilor Jannan Holmes (at-large). “They’ve been good sports… I just wanted to thank the community for their patience, and I thought that for them to have a good explanation would be helpful.”
