Stafford Board of Supervisors Meeting Gets Spicy
Chair Deuntay Diggs expresses frustration with colleagues, possibly building from events that occurred at the January 7 Stafford Republican Committee meeting.
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
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Deuntay Diggs, Chair of Stafford County’s Board of Supervisors, indicated Tuesday evening that he is prepared to take legal action should some of his colleagues continue to ask for an amendment to the Code of Performance that “adversely affects my career, my calling.”
Diggs was referring to a request that language be added requiring board members who are also county employees to take leave for any board activities, work meetings, or constituent outreach, and submit that leave request to the County Administrator for public review.
Rock Hill representative Crystal Vanuch first brought up this request at the board’s January 7 organizational meeting, at which Diggs was elected chair.
Diggs and Hartwood District representative Darrell English both work for the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. They are the only two board members who would be affected by adding this language to the Code of Performance.
English has served on the board since 2022 and Diggs since 2024.
At Tuesday’s work session, Vanuch said she asked for this item to come back “just for public transparency.”
“We’re in a unique circumstance that we have county employees who sit on the Board of Supervisors,” she said. “In those instances, we have to go above and beyond disclosing that those individuals are taking that time off and not doing Board of Supervisors activities during work hours. It’s not meant to be ugly or retaliatory.”
Falmouth representative Meg Bohmke, speaking in support of adding this requirement to the Code of Conduct, said she thinks “It would be interesting for people that are impacted by this to get an opinion from the COIA [Virginia Conflicts of Interest and Ethics Advisory] Council.”
“If I were sitting in this position, I would have gotten an opinion,” she said.
English said he is “not happy” about the proposal and has never had anybody question his use of time, but that he is “willing to do what I need to do to make myself accountable and transparent.”
But other board members said the measure is not necessary or productive, and questioned why it’s being brought up now, when both English and Diggs have already been on the Board for some time.
“I don’t understand the need,” said Vice Chair and Griffis-Widewater representative Tinesha Allen. “We’ve had county officials serving on this board prior to assuming leadership positions now. So, I don’t understand how years later, we’re going to address the issue of timesheets.”
And Diggs said the request by Vanuch is “absolutely ridiculous” and “quite honestly pisses me off.”
“I’ve spent 16 years in uniform serving this community and I’ve done it with integrity,” he said. “I will not allow my service in uniform to be used as leverage for votes anything that happens on this board. I’m accountable to a Constitutional Officer. My timesheets get turned in and when I sign on that line, that’s my integrity. I will not submit my timesheets to the County Attorney. That’s totally inappropriate.”
Diggs said he does not appreciate “insinuations of COIA this and that.”
“The two of you who talked about it, by throwing it out there, you don’t realize the impact it has on us and the way people view us,” he continued. “And actually, we’ve both been trying to protect the people who started it.”
Closed Door Dispute Spills Out
Earlier this month, the Advance spoke with multiple sources who attended the January 15 meeting of the Stafford County Republican Committee and said that Vanuch spoke at the meeting asking that there be “consequences” for Diggs not voting in support of “the first Republican” to be nominated for the position of Chair at the January 7 meeting.
Diggs was endorsed by the Stafford Republican Committee during his candidacy for the George Washington District seat but is not a member of the committee.
At the January 7 meeting, Bohmke nominated Vanuch for the position of Chair, but the nomination failed by a 4-to-3 vote, with Diggs voting against it.
The board then voted on Aquia representative Monica Gary’s nomination of Diggs, which passed 4-to-3.
At the Stafford Republican Committee meeting, according to committee members who were present, Vanuch said Diggs doesn’t have the necessary experience and that the board needs a strong conservative leader during the budget process.
Steve Schwartz, the Stafford Republican Committee president, told the Advance that “There were suggestions, but there was not a formal request [for action] from the Republican committee. There were discussions on what to do, but the resolution is that there was no resolution.”
In an email to the Advance sent on January 16, Diggs wrote, “I am aware of the incident at the recent Republican Committee meeting, and several attendees have shared their concerns with me regarding the statements made. While I recognize the actions during the meeting as a distraction, my focus remains steadfast on collaborating with my colleagues to achieve our strategic goals in a bipartisan manner.”
He continued, “I have personally spoken with the Supervisors involved and am confident that we will move past this incident constructively and positively.”
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