Former Patrick County Board of Supervisors interim member Jane Fulk is calling on current board members to shift their focus to county affairs rather than referencing her in discussions.
Following the Nov. 18 board meeting, Fulk no longer serves as interim and has returned to private life. However, her name surfaced in a recent interview with former board members regarding emails sent by Steve Marshall, who represents the Blue Ridge District.
During the discussion, Doug Perry, of the Smith River District, mentioned a past controversy he attributed to Fulk.
“The whole debaclery (sic)… and how she (Fulk) got ahold of or took some contract wordage, twisted things around, misrepresented them, and started the whole rumor control and misrepresented facts,” Perry said.
After reading the remarks, Fulk questioned their relevance to the emails in question.
“I am tired of Doug Perry and Steve Marshall attacking my reputation and talking about a controversy,” she said. “The only controversy that I’m aware of happened while I was on the board is my belief that EMS (Emergency Medical Service) providers should be paid a fair wage according to their certifications.”
Fulk said she repeatedly raised concerns about cuts to EMS salaries before the board’s October meeting.
On at least three occasions before that meeting, Fulk said she addressed her concerns with then-chairman Perry about reductions in pay for EMS personnel.
“I was informed by Mr. Perry that it would be okay. They would work more hours for the same pay. This did not make any sense to me,” she said.
Fulk said she specifically questioned the reduction of EMT wages from approximately $18 to $15 per hour.
“The last time I spoke to Doug Perry about the EMTs’ pay being cut… he advised me that it would be taken care of at the board of supervisors’ retreat,” she said.
That retreat, originally discussed in October, is now scheduled for late March.
“That did not compute in my brain as a help for the county itself since EMS personnel were quitting to go where they were being paid an amount in keeping with their training,” she said. “I believe I informed Doug Perry that EMTs could go to Walmart and make $15 an hour.”
Fulk said she may have also voiced her concerns during an earlier board meeting but could not recall specific details. However, at the October meeting, she formally moved to reinstate EMS wages to their previously approved levels.
“I have no regrets about putting the pay for the county EMS back to the amounts that were passed in the budget for 2024-2025,” she said.
Fulk also questioned Perry’s and Marshall’s continued focus on the October meeting rather than county priorities in 2025.
Among the other issues discussed at that meeting was the creation of a fire chief position.
“As to the EMS Chief, I found out the night of the board meeting from the public, and other EMS volunteers, and the paid service, that the person had already been hired, had worked that day and was given a car to drive back and forth” to their home in the Smith Mountain Lake area, Fulk said.
She said the lack of transparency surrounding the hiring process raised concerns both for her as a taxpayer and for others who spoke with her about the matter.
Fulk also said she was not made aware of any applications or that the county was conducting interviews before the hiring decision was made.
“Mrs. Shough (Assistant County Administrator/HR Director Donna), maybe at the direction of” someone else, “refused my request to look at the applications before any hiring was accomplished. I don’t even know how many (applications) they had,” she said.
Going forward, Fulk urged the board to move forward with county business.
“Do they still resent the fact that I wanted the EMS people to be paid what they needed to be paid? Do they have a grudge against EMS? I don’t know. I don’t understand it,” she said
