Additional details surrounding the recent resignation of the head of the Patrick County Economic Development Authority (EDA) were released at the Sept. 10 meeting of the Patrick County Board of Supervisors.

Debbie Foley, EDA director, issued a public resignation, announcing her intent to leave her post later this year, citing a lack of support from the supervisors.

Denise Stirewalt, a former county employee, said Foley also wrote a second, more detailed letter to the supervisors. Although the supervisors are prohibited from discussing personnel issues in open session, Foley is not. She gave Stirewalt permission to share portions of the letter.

“While I have thoroughly enjoyed my duties, the toxic and hostile environment fostered by the board of supervisors … has become completely untenable,” Stirewalt said Foley wrote.

According to Stirewalt, Foley also wrote “I will expand on this; however, I know that the issues I will bring to bear are of no surprise to the board, as this has been a consistent pattern during my six years of employment. These patterns have become even more prevalent in the last 2- to 2 ½ years.”

Foley’s letter stated she would use the remaining more than three pages of the letter to provide “detailed specific instances of the unprofessional actions.”

Stirewalt also shared her concerns.

She said she worked in the county administration office from August 2012 through April 19, 2017. At that time, she was the assistant economic development director.

Like Foley, Stirewalt said she opted to leave her post because “I chose to no longer work for a board that had been made aware of some of these concerns from both citizens and staff, and condoned that type of behavior and work environment.”

“A job is all about expectation, perception, and choice. My expectations of an administration office” and county leaders is “one of structure, communication, professionalism, and leadership.”

All were lacking during her tenure, according to Stirewalt.

She said she experienced a lack of communication and structure; no response to emails and phone messages and a lack of communication with other staff about changes/additions to policies and procedures.

Stirewalt said she also witnessed a lack of leadership, prolonged absences, unprofessional attire, a lack of overall interest and disrespect.

A lack of professionalism, including inappropriate contact and conversations with peers, an arrogant attitude, late night and weekend phone calls, also were a concern, she said. Additionally, votes/directives from the supervisors were ignored, she said.

Stirewalt said she was still employed by the county when she first shared her concerns with two supervisors.

During her exit interview, Stirewalt said she again expressed those concerns with two other supervisors – Rickie Fulcher, of the Peters Creek District and Crystal Harris of the Smith River District.

She said she also asked for copies of that interview to be distributed to the board members.

Some supervisors said at the meeting they did not receive a copy.

Additionally, Stirewalt said she learned her exit interview had not been retained in her personnel file.

“It is not my intent to point fingers and make false accusations, but to stand up and fight for what I believe to be moral and ethical,” Stirewalt said. “To quote Abraham Lincoln, “the probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.’ And I believe this cause to be just,” she added.

In a show of support for his daughter, Jim Litten, Stirewalt’s father, also addressed the supervisors. He questioned the board’s logic in spending $30,000 to hire a consultant to peruse the former Pioneer Community Hospital of Patrick’s financial records considering the EDA board’s membership includes two retired bankers who would have done the same job as the consultant, but at no cost to county taxpayers.

Litten also said the hospital closure has impacted the community as a whole, and asked for an update.

When responding to the concerns Lock Boyce, board chairman, said current board members are working to disrupt the past local political motto for the common people: “keep ‘em down; keep ‘em working.”

And “we will keep it that way if possible, with the help of some cooler heads and some people with some dignity and class, which I don’t see here,” he said to taxpayers, constituents and others attending the Sept. 10 meeting.

“I in no way agree with his statement,” said Karl Weiss, of the Blue Ridge District. “That is a very terrible statement to make to the people in this room and the people in this county.”

“Check it out,” Boyce, of the Mayo River District, countered.

Boyce questioned County Administrator Tom Rose, about some of the issues raised. Rose served in dual roles of county administrator and economic development director during Stirewalt’s tenure,

Boyce said Rose is “honest, he’s formidable” when needed, and Rose “won’t let people steal from this county. A lot of what’s going on is local, dirty politics; dirty Patrick County politics.”

Boyce said he had no regrets about hiring a consultant, Robert Diesel, to go over the former hospital’s financial records.

Diesel prepared a two-page report that basically stated “this hospital made a lot of money” and also showed most of those funds left the area, Boyce said.“I don’t know of anyone else around here who could have condensed” and presented the information to the board, he added.

Boyce said that he was told early on he should not be involved in the bid to reopen the hospital, and that Foley and the EDA board would take point on the project.

“A year has gone by and nothing has happened,” Boyce said. “Not only that, but it (hospital building) is deteriorating” even more. The EDA hired “a high-priced lawyer” to help work on a lease offer that was presented to the Virginia Community Capital (lien holder), and spent “a lot of time on lease offers back and forth,” Boyce said.

The EDA and Foley also traveled to Richmond and worked with State Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Moneta. But “I didn’t see a single time where they were in contact with” Gov. Ralph Northam’s office, Boyce said.

“If I was Mrs. Foley and a year had gone by and I hadn’t contacted the governor’s office, I’d resign too,” he said, adding the county needed to hear that.

Northam visited Patrick County in January and while here, signed the first two bills of his administration into law to extend licenses associated with the hospital.

Weiss said he was “very disappointed when” Stirewalt left her position with the county. He said he did not believe Stirewalt ever shared her concerns with him personally.

Weiss said Foley shared some concerns with him, “and I removed her and put her in her own department. I did everything within my power” to address the situation and separate that employee from the source of concern. “I was terribly disappointed when she resigned.”

Weiss said another board member shared concerns with him, and in so doing “has created a hostile work environment” in the administration office.

He did not identify the supervisor.

Weiss said he had known the consultant hired by the county for years and he is a “wonderful person.”

Jane Scales Fulk, of the Dan River District, said she is a new on the board and “is not too aware of all these concerns” presented at the meeting.

Fulk, who took office in January, said she had not seen a copy of Stirewalt’s exit interview, but she thought she may have received it in an email.

Fulcher said some county employees had shared concerns with him, but also said they did not want their comments shared. As a result, Fulcher said he abided by their wishes.

He declined additional comment, citing the discussion as a personnel issue.

After the meeting, Rose said he has been “slandered the last couple of years,” but hasn’t said anything about it. “It has taken a toll on my health and I don’t appreciate it. There are two sides to every story.”

Rose invited any of the supervisors to ask if they want to hear his side.

Harris, of the Smith River District, did not attend the meeting.