The Shadow
Welcome back, Shadowers! Last week, the Shadow firmly stated that there was no war between the Virginian Review and the Good News Church on Main. In fact, the Virginian Review has been highly supportive of the Church for years, covering and promoting its activities and events like the Annual Christmas Bazaar.
However, Covington Mayor Tom Sibold seems to have other plans, demanding these organizations go to war because he doesn’t like the facts the Virginian Review published about his professional performance as mayor. So how does his professional behavior have anything to do with a church and God? Apparently, being held accountable as a public servant while serving as a Director at Good News Church gives the Mayor a divine right to call God and the Church into his unholy war with the Virginian Review.
The Church is innocent. And I don’t think God ever intended his words to be used as a weapon against accountability, or a shield to hide unethical and illicit behavior.
However, not 20 minutes had passed from last Tuesday morning’s Shadow article release stating this fact, did the Mayor double down on his stalking, creepy attacks and post another call for a public prayer meeting at 8pm Thursday, on Main Street. (Apparently it was a nothing-burger, overshadowed by the Presidential Debate.) Upon seeing the Mayor’s post, one reader stated, “You can claim this prayer on Main Street is nothing more than coming together to pray for our city, but you are not fooling anyone. This is nothing more than another slap at the Virginian Review, its followers, supporters, and citizens, as well as the portrayal of chest-thumping because you are up for re-election. Personally, Tommy I now believe you have become unfit to remain the face of our city.”
In other Covington news, after several attempts over the past month to get the City Council to post their minutes as required by law, a letter was finally sent to the Commonwealth Attorney last week to ask for enforcement assistance. Lo and behold, Commonwealth Attorney Chief Deputy Shaun Mabry replied six hours later stating, “Mr. Dressler contacted this office and informed that the additional meeting minutes that the City of Covington posted are all of such minutes that have been approved as of this time.”
Finally! Our officials complied with the law. But why do our citizens have to spend months of their precious time badgering city officials and finally invoking a higher authority just to force this administration to follow the law?
Another shining example of city officials flouting their own laws is a zoning debacle that is dragging on like a bad circus act with clowns in charge. Recover Virginia has been squatting illegally in the old Edgemont school building for months, much to the dismay of many citizens. Fed up with the city’s blatant disregard for its own regulations, some citizens have now taken action and sent a letter to the Commonwealth Attorney seeking enforcement assistance.
In a May council meeting, Ms Haines asked City Manager Dressler why he was breaking the law and allowing the organization to inhabit the building. Dressler admitted he violated the zoning laws, and that if they could not find a resolution, he would personally go over there and evict them.
How long is long enough? What is driving Dressler’s delay? Favoritism? Or that old bad habit some Covington city officials seem to have of operating above the law, and if they ignore it for another 7 seconds, everyone will forget?
In the Accountability Department, the Virginian Review submitted several Freedom of Information Act requests (FOIA) to the city and the county over the past few weeks. The responses have been underwhelming to downright absurd. In one FOIA request, the Virginian Review asked for cell phone records (calls, voicemails, texts, etc) for Mayor Sibold, Vice Mayor David Crosier, and Small Business Coordinator Terri McClung, specifically concerning the issues that have been brought to light this year. All of those public servants have posted their cell phone numbers on the City of Covington’s official website, and the law stipulates that while the individual might personally own the phone, if it is publicly published and used for government business, then its content is owned by the people.
Their response was incredulous. “Terri McClung does not use text for City business,” and “David Crosier does not do business on text.” Mayor Sibold complied with a very limited number of screenshots pertaining to the request, though it appeared to be a case of highly selective ‘cherry-picking’ and sending cannon fodder.
Okay folks, how can you list your cell phone number on an official government website, but then state you only use it for personal use?
We are going to find out. (Note to any official who uses their phone for official business: in the meantime, don’t delete anything. That’s a serious crime, and everything digitally recorded always leaves footprints no matter how many times you hit the delete button.)
The Virginian Review also submitted a FOIA to the Alleghany Covington Department of Social Services, or the local DSS (LDSS). The response to this FOIA was shocking, as not only were there apparent gaps in the requested information, but something far more clandestine and troubling was discovered. The official board meeting records showed that the majority of the department’s business apparently is being done behind closed doors, out of view of the public.
Clandestine operations? This isn’t how good government functions.
Thankfully, many previous LDSS staffers and clients have had enough and have spoken out. It seems the LDSS has turned into a soap opera of bad management and drama. Apparently, Director Tammy Wilson is in over her head, neglecting important tasks like background checks, safety plans, and following important rules, like not telling outsiders about confidential cases, and creating a toxic work environment. This mess allegedly led to 11 staff members quitting, leaving just one adult protective services worker to manage the chaos with the director and her sidekick.
The old saying, “It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt” is applicable here. It’s one thing to hear about apparent staffing, management, and professional dysfunction within the DSS, but it is another thing when it directly impacts the people who are desperately in need of their services and protection.
Particularly children.
The Shadow has been receiving several alarming reports of instances of alleged child abuse, sexual harassment, pornography, and pedophilia that disturbingly involve people in various positions of power or public office here in the Alleghany Highlands. Two such cases seem to be already in legal intervention, while others have begun their whistleblowing processes. And multiple people have complained that when they do report this sort of behavior to the local DSS Child Protective Services, the incidents are allegedly not properly investigated, or downright ignored. This supports the outcries from the former local DSS employees that something is incredibly dysfunctional at the department.
How did we descend into this catastrophic crisis where the safety of our children is severely neglected, or even cast aside?
Perhaps one early indicator alarm that was ineptly ignored by leadership was when the local DSS staff couldn’t get their Director to listen to any of their issues, so they took their complaint directly to the Local DSS Chairman, David Crosier. Crosier basically said, “Deal with it or you’re fired,” proving he was as helpful as a screen door on a submarine.
Have you realized this is a repeating, dangerous behavior within the Alleghany Highlands? Like our Covington City Mayor who enabled, encouraged, and allowed a new business to host events involving an entire generation of our kids in a building declared as a fire trap and shut down by the State Fire Marshal? And the Vice Mayor and Chairman of the local DSS’s apparent complete failure to understand, lead, and immediately resolve issues that are affecting the safety and welfare of our children?
The Children are innocent. Their lives do not need to be cannon fodder for commercial gain. They don’t need to be indoctrinated into a life of poverty, crime, and drugs before they even know it. Isn’t it our leaders’ job to keep all this from happening, instead of addressing it afterward by creating a city filled with all sorts of recovery programs and offering governmental services that are apparently dysfunctional?
Great news was heard last week with Ray’s Sweet Shoppe announcing they have started offering DoorDash. A round of cheers ensued, with many Shadowers asking for more restaurants to join DoorDash. This is a great idea and I hope it gives Ray’s (and others) a much-needed economic boost.
I’m out of time, and out of coffee, but wishing you a wonderful Fourth of July. Please take time and offer a moment of prayer and gratitude for our brave Patriots who sacrificed their lives in order that we may still celebrate this day 248 years later as a free nation.
