Newsletter criticizing Charles City leadership draws ire from board chairman

A newsletter criticizing the operations by leadership in Charles City County has upset at least one board of supervisor member.

District 2 representative and chairman Bill Coada voiced his displeasure and disagreement with comments made in the Charles City Conservative newsletter, a publication distributed by Peter Churrins.

Coada said that Churrins information consisted of inaccuracies and false information about the handling of issues by Charles City’s government. Coada pointed to specific comments in Churrins’ newsletter that charged the board of supervisors’ inability to handle employees, as well as comments lodged against County Administrator Michelle Johnson with allegations that the leadership ran the county and a quote that said, “We run Charles City County and there isn’t a (explicit) thing you can do about it.”

Coada went into a rant about his displeasure with the comments stated in the newsletter.

“This board, along with Mr. [Floyd] Miles and Mr. [Lewis] Black, and definitely this woman (Johnson) turned around where this county was headed,” Coada commented. “It’s largely due to Ms. Johnson and she is a county native and has done an amazing time.

“We have been frugal with the taxpayer money,” the chairman continued. “The county wrote checks for the wastewater plant replacement, and we have a food pantry on the way because of their hard work. The comments made here are disrespectful, hearsay, and it’s people like this that is the reason why I’m not going to run for reelection.”

Churrins approached the podium during the first public comment period at the meeting, saying that he stood by his comments in his newsletter.

“I think what’s happened now is that you lost control of your employees from what I heard and seen,” he said, pointing to recent incidents that saw the former county registrar and members of public works dismissed. “You fired five black employees right before Winter hit because they didn’t clean a room [due to COVID-19]. They weren’t even trained in it, but yet three out of the four of you on stage are wearing masks.”

Churrins continued, saying that information he gathered said the former public works employees would clean the facility the following Thursday.

“It just works its way down and it comes down to equity. Where’s the equity for those people?” the newsletter writer continued. “Sometimes it gets lost. When I see it, I call it. I’d probably be more specific, but I can’t at this time, but this will come around and bite you.”

Churrins continued his comments during the second comment period, saying his reason for speaking out on the issues.

“I became involved in this because I believe in property rights and some of this doesn’t make sense,” he continued. “This is a little out of your area because there was a matter that was involved school board.

“I watched a teacher get up at a meeting, begging to get support because of the abusiveness inside the school system,” Churrins commented. “It was directed at them.

“What happens at the top trickles down,” he added as his comments began wrapping up. “It’s not a matter of equity. It’s a matter of courtesy and a matter of responsibility.”

The dialogue and comments were enough to make longtime Charles City resident Elenora Robinson approach the lectern to speak.

“We are nitpicking at a lot of things and this county is going forward,” she said. “Most people are in a box and say they don’t need us. They say it’s because want to keep us down instead of bringing it to the county.

“Since [Michelle] Johnson has been here, she has got us a lot of things, and it seems like the nitpicking is trying to push us down,” Robinson continued. “I don’t know why citizens come into the county, but if they don’t want anything to come here because they don’t want to be disturbed, and that’s why they move here.

“We are in a comfort zone, but these people moving into the county need to wake up and search themselves,” as Robinson wrapped up her comments. “They need to see those who have been here their whole lives and let some of this money come into the county and stay in the county.”

With the public comment period closed, District 1 representative Gilbert Smith commented about the hostility within the county.

“There is so much animosity in the county right now and I don’t know how we get rid of it,” he said. “It’s more jealousy than anything else.

“I’ve been begging individuals to volunteer boards and commissions, but they say have no time to participate,” Smith continued. “But they have time to complain.

“I say let’s have a general conversation and walk away and be free,” the District 1 representative added as he wrapped up his board comments. “It’s okay to agree that we can disagree, but this county is getting away from that.”

Coada concluded with his comments by addressing Churrins directly with a similar situation in the past.

“One of the most critical people of the board of supervisors is Dr. Steve Fuhrmann, and we are good friends,” the chairman said. “We disagree on a lot of things, and we agree on a lot of things.

“I have been out with you and your wife, and I consider you a friend,” Coada continued. “But I’m not going to sit by and let you do articles based on hearsay. I wouldn’t do that to you. You didn’t apologize to them [board of supervisors and Michelle Johnson], but I will do it for you.”

By law, county leaders are not allowed to talk about personnel actions involving county employees. In other board of supervisors’ information:

–Announced a public hearing on Thursday, Mar. 17, to address redistricting in the county. Charles City lost approximately 432 people according to the 2020 census. The proposed redistricting plan sees no boundary adjustments made to district lines.

–Announced that the Chickahominy Power Plant that has been proposed has been paused due to not meeting deadlines and SCC delays. While the pause took place last month, Coada believes that the project will no longer come to fruition.