Supervisors Agree No Member Will Serve on YMCA Board

By Crystal Vandegrift, Staff Writer

January’s Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors meeting called for several appointments to committees and boards. In the past, one of those appointments included placing two board members on the YMCA’s board of directors.

Previously, Supervisors Calvin Gray and Charles McKay, whose term ended in December, were appointed to the YMCA board.

During Tuesday night’s meeting Supervisor Bob Timmons made the motion that “we do not appoint any members of this board to the YMCA board.”  The motion was unanimously approved.

Timmons said his motion was made to eliminate any conflict of interest.

Before the vote, county residents Richard Altice and Cindy Koether both expressed their disapproval of any board of supervisor member serving on the YMCA board, stating conflicts of interest.

These conflicts of interest, which county attorney James Ennis says do not exist, have been expressed because the board of supervisors have agreed to fund the YMCA in the past and both supervisors Gray and McKay served on the YMCA board and took part in the funding vote.

In December, Kipper Lafoon addressed the supervisors on behalf of the YMCA asking for them to consider co-signing a loan to refinance the Y’s $2.1 million debt load. The board made no decision on Lafoon’s request.

In an announcement made the first of January, Jane Schirmer, YMCA executive officer, resigned her position effective January 16, 2016.