Debbie Donehey
Current Board of Supervisors chair, 58, retired, Huntly
Where do you stand on the courthouse project?
“It’s the most significant undertaking in Rappahannock in generations. Foremost, we must consider the safety of everyone who enters the courtroom – the public, the judges, the jurors, and our constitutional officers. I’m focused on that.
It may turn out to be a combination of building and renovating. What matters is that we end up with a courthouse and office facility that meets the needs of our county while preserving what we love so much about it.
While quite a process has already been undertaken, there is more to do. Mr. Frazier referenced the Supreme Court’s courthouse facility guidelines and questioned each of the supervisors as to whether we had read it. The guidelines state that input is typically given by the following: Judges… Clerks of each of the above courts, Sheriff, Commonwealth Attorney, … or county administrator.
After hearing that our committee had engaged these parties only in passing, it became clear to me that we needed to do more legwork. We are only now engaging all the required stakeholders in a project that began over two years ago, which is unacceptable. For something this momentous, we must do all the necessary diligence to get it right.”
What is the most urgent issue facing the county now?
“I don’t want to sound like I’m waffling, but I think it’s fair to say that for some citizens, it’s fire and rescue; others need broadband. I get to speak with many citizens across the county, and the answer depends on who I am speaking with. But each person’s issue is urgent to them, so it’s urgent to me.”
What have you accomplished in your time as an elected official? What are you most proud of?
“Keeping taxes low is a priority, and we have done well over these last four years. New, strong leadership at Company 4 has brought in 27 new volunteers, with more to come. Ambulance 1404, after 11-months parked in the station after the loss of its license, returned to service on March 3, 2023, under the Rappahannock EMS license. We have volunteers scheduled to attend emergency service responder classes beginning in October, followed by the EMT program in January. It’s wonderful to see the community come together, contrary to Mr. Frazier’s on-the-record prediction in January that ‘they won’t come.’
I appreciate our agreement with Warren County and Chester Gap that continues to provide 24/7 paid paramedic coverage. My relationship with Warren also led us to the eight-county regional approach to broadband.”
Why do you want to be reelected?
“I love Rappahannock. I really have enjoyed serving the county, and we are in the middle of several projects that I would love to see through to completion, including our broadband project, our efforts on the fire and rescue front, and the courthouse complex. I believe I’m an asset to the board and the county in seeing those issues through.”
Your opponent, Sam Foreback, was one of the petitioners in a lawsuit against the supervisors over a resolution you drafted, which removed the former Company 4 board of directors. There has been pushback from residents and other supervisors over that resolution. Would you have done anything differently? Have the conditions at Company 4 improved?
“I have been working to help Company 4 since my election in 2019. They had been having trouble for years.
The Fire and Rescue Association, the Public Safety Committee, the Emergency Services Coordinator – we all tried to help. When the ambulance service was lost, the county offered to let it run under its EMS license and help with administrative tasks. Unfortunately, the name change on the ambulance became the moment of truth. State law requires that the ambulance bear the name of the license holder. They refused and, nine months after losing it, presented no other viable plan to restore their own license.
The only other option was to protect the taxpayers’ money by shutting the doors – which we did not want to do – and putting those resources elsewhere in the county.
I understand that pride has been hurt, and I appreciate everyone who tirelessly volunteers. But the citizens in the Wakefield District and beyond know that pride does not save lives; licensed providers and a well-run, properly equipped ambulance do.
The community is showing up in great numbers because while they knew it was necessary, they now believe it is possible to rebuild a viable fire and rescue company. We have strong and skilled leadership to greet them, and together, they are working on addressing all the existing deficiencies. Chester Gap has stepped up to help in many ways, including joint training exercises.
The company’s membership now includes mechanics, doctors, builders, nurse practitioners, fundraisers, lawyers, grant writers, farmers, financial professionals, veterans, and even some great chefs for fundraisers! There is life in the company, and the work is being divided up and accomplished.”
You were one of the petitioners in a lawsuit against the Board of Supervisors over a resolution that removed the former board of directors at Company 4. e board recently appointed a new fire chief.
You’ve said during public comment periods at BOS meetings that the county has only made the problems at the Flint Hill fire company worse. In your opinion, how should the supervisors have addressed the financial misconduct and other problems at the fire company? What should they have done, specifically?
“I am a member of Company 4 and have been since 1976, I did take a break between 2010 and November 2020. At the January 26th removal I was a member and not part of the leadership. Upon my return Company 4 asked the county at least three times for help. Volunteerism is low and trained EMS personnel and firefighters are even lower. It takes many months to have people trained; when only a handful or less are available to run calls 24/ 7/ 365 people leave, have lives and get burnt out. One person leaving can be very hard to replace. When the Board of Supervisors took over on January 26, 2023, they replaced the entire board of directors along with a fire chief, now this is the second chief appointed by the BOS.
From my understanding, 2017 was when [ financial misconduct] was brought to light, the current BOS chair was chair of the fire levy board at that time and was aware of the findings. I feel that any discrepancies should have been corrected at that time, not six years later. I would have put measures in place to stop this in the future.”
e Virginia State Police found evidence of financial mismanagement during the time you were at the company. How can you assure citizens that you’re capable of taking on the role of a county supervisor, where you’ll be making many financial decisions?
“From my understanding this report as quoted by Mr. Goff and the VSP investigator stated that the previous administration had put in place measures to stop financial mismanagement. If this investigation was taking place from 2020 until 2023, three of the current FHVFC board of directors were members and voted on all matters of the department as well. First, we hired an outside bookkeeper to follow up on treasury management and take over all fire levy reports. She is still employed today by the new board. We also put fuel cards in all FHVFC vehicles which require a personal pin number and vehicle mileage to be entered before any fuel can be purchased, this prevents misuse. I am happy and proud to say I was raised with morals by my parents and any financial decisions I would make would be for the betterment of Rappahannock and the citizens of the Wakefield District.”