Pitiful Purcellville politics

Dear Editor:

On July 26, I attended a Purcellville Town Council meeting to better understand current traffic and safety issues. 

Little did I know I was walking into a forum that would display a pitiful political stunt that is seen way too often at the national level right before my eyes in small town Purcellville, where the focus should be solving the issues for the tax paying citizens.

When the meeting got to the Town Council Member comment portion, Council Member Mary Jane Williams read a letter from Council Member Erin Rayner, who was out of the country.

The letter accused Town Council Member Stan Milan of harassment for taking a picture of her on the dais at the July 12 Town Council meeting. 

Mr. Milan has since stated that he took a single photo to capture Council Member Joel Grewe endlessly on his cell phone during Town Council sessions.

Wow, where do I begin to unpack this dysfunctional situation, which is very unfortunate for the town citizens who expect better behavior from our elected officials? First and foremost, I am not dismissing Ms. Rayner’s feelings because there is no place for harassment, perceived or otherwise, in the workplace or anywhere. 

However, why didn’t Council Member Rayner address this issue immediately when it happened in private with Town Manager David Mekarski, and the individual she was accusing? 

No, instead Council Member Rayner chose to roll it out two weeks later in a public forum as a political stunt and used Council Member Mary Jane Williams to do her dirty work prior to the upcoming Town election where Council Member Milan is running for Mayor. 

Council Member Rayner does not even have the courage to deliver the message in person, which is very much like what we are seeing play out at the national level.

We, the citizens of Purcellville expect more professionalism from our elected officials, and not this partisan political game playing. This behavior is unwelcome here in our community. 

This character defamation of Council Member Stan Milan is unacceptable, and Council Members Rayner and Mary Jane Williams should be held accountable for this escapade.

So, I ask my fellow citizens of Purcellville to think long and hard when you vote on November 8, 2022, as to whether Ms. Erin Rayner, and her political shenanigans is what we want from our Town leaders. 

I will give you my answer, I will not be voting for Rayner based on this unprofessional and unnecessary behavior. The Town of Purcellville deserves better.

Bill Conover

Purcellville