Albemarle County Board of Supervisors

Supervisors Boyd, Dumler, and Mallek being sworn in on December 15, 2011

The six-member Board of Supervisors ("the Supervisors", "the Board", or the "BoS") is the highest decision-making body in Albemarle County.

Each board member is elected from one of the county's six magisterial districts. Supervisors are elected for four-year terms, staggered at two-year intervals, so that only three Supervisors are up for re-election at any given time.

In 2013, there will be a special election to fill the vacancy left with the June 5 resignation of Chris Dumler.

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Membership

Current membership

The current members of the Board of Supervisors, serving terms ending 2013 or 2015, are:

• Ann Mallek (White Hall), Chairman
• Duane Snow (Samuel Miller), Vice Chair
• Ken Boyd (Rivanna)
• Jane Dittmar (Scottsville)
• Dennis Rooker (Jack Jouett)
• Rodney Thomas (Rio)

This comprises three Republicans, two Democrats and one independent on the Board of Supervisors, a rightward shift after the 2009 election. Christopher J. Dumler succeeded Dorrier on December 15, 2011 following the 2011 election.

Chris Dumler resigned on June 5, 2013. Dittmar was elected to serve out the rest of his term and sworn in on November 11, 2013.

Dispute over chair

At their meeting on January 4, 2012, supervisors could not agree on who would be chair for the 2012 and 2013. At issue was whether Duane Snow and Rodney Thomas should remain on the Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Board. Dumler, Rooker, and Mallek all supported Snow as chair, but wanted to make sure one of them served either as vice chair, or as a member of the MPO. A motion by Boyd to nominate Snow and Thomas as chair and vice chair failed on a 3-3 vote. A second motion by Rooker nominating Snow as chair, Dumler as vice chair, and Mallek as one of the MPO representatives also failed on a 3-3 vote. By default, Mallek will continue to serve as chair until a majority can be found to select a new chair. After the deadlock, Snow was elected as vice chair on a 4-2 vote with Boyd and Thomas dissenting.

Listen to audio from discussion:

<play audio>File:20120104-BOS-Chair-Dispute-Discussion.MP3 </play audio>

Former Members

Main article: List of Albemarle Supervisors

Also See articles related to former members of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors

Compensation

The current Board of Supervisors annual salary is $14,542. The chair receives a yearly stipend of $1,800. The vice chair receives $35 for every meeting he or she chairs.

Chair

The Chair presides over meetings, calls special meetings, and serves as the ceremonial head of government. The Vice Chair substitutes whenever the Chairman is unavailable. While the Chairman has no more power than any other Supervisor, the position carries with it the ability to set the agenda and conduct the public meetings.

See also: List of former chairs of the Board of Supervisors.

Duties

Duties of the Board include:

• Approving the budget as prepared by staff.

Meetings and contact

The Board meets on the first and second Wednesdays of each month, with the first meeting held during the day and the second at night. The Board generally meets in Lane Auditorium but occasionally holds work sessions in Room 241. The beginning of regular meetings features a time when member of the public can make a comment to the supervisors. The board allows people to sign up for speaking slots online as well. The audio of every meeting is live-streamed in its entirety. A podcast is made available each day.

Tie breaker

With six members, there is frequently the possibility of a 3-3 stalemate. These have been dealt with in many ways. In May 1921, the board was temporarily down to 6 members following the death of James W. Early. A vote over a $500 appropriation resulted in a 3-3 tie which was resolved a month later by a court-appointed temporary replacement. In January 2013, the board opted not to pursue adding a seventh member.

2009 election

Main article: 2009 election#Board of Supervisors

On November 3, 2009, Rodney Thomas (R) was elected to represent the Rio District, defeating David Slutzky. Duane Snow was elected to represent the Samuel Miller District, replacing four-term veteran Sally Thomas who did not seek re-election.

Candidates in the 2009 election were:

• Jack Jouett District
  • Dennis Rooker (I)
• Rio District
  • David Slutzky (D), Rodney Thomas (R)
• Samuel Miller District
  • Madison Cummings (D), John Lowry (I), Duane Snow (R)
• Candidates who failed to receive their party's nomination:
  • Lucia Phinney (D-Samuel Miller)
  • Philip Melita (R-Samuel Miller)

Party affiliations on the Board

In 1999, Democrat Charles Martin told the Daily Progress that party did not play a big role in how the Board worked when he was a member.

External links

• Board of Supervisors official site
• Minutes of Board of Supervisors meetings
• Actions taken at Board meetings
• County's budget.