2017-12-19 - Part 1 - The Swearing-In Ceremonies

The December 19, 2017 meeting of the Board of Supervisors went on for quite some time. With three public hearings, regular business, and several presentations, the meeting nearly went past their mandated time limit of midnight. But before the Board even met, there were a few other things that happened first.

The long evening started a few minutes after 6pm with the swearing in of the new Supervisors Jeff Bueche and Cathy Binder and a new School Board member, Gina Panciera. The ceremonies were short with the papers signed and oaths sworn within minutes with Vic Mason, Clerk of the Court, serving as the master of ceremonies. There was plenty of time for the newly elected officials to pose for photos while everyone waited for the Service Authority meeting to start at 6:30pm.

(from left to right: Cathy Binder, Gina Panciera, and Jeff Bueche)

Cedell Brooks Honored By Congressman Rob Wittman

Congressman Rob Wittman honored Cedell Brooks of the King George County Board of Supervisors this morning, December 19, 2017. The crowd of well-wishers filled the County's Board room with only a handful of empty seats. The crowd mingled and enjoyed food and drink while waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Congressman Wittman began his presentation with a few remarks about how local officials had a "special place in Heaven" for all of their hard work. Wittman then said members of Congress could honor important people in three ways. The first way was his Extension of Remarks that were made for the Congressional Record on October 4, 2017. After reading them aloud, he presented copies to Supervisor Brooks.

The next presentation was of a flag flown at the U. S. Capitol. Congressman Wittman and Sheriff Steve Dempsey worked together to fold the flag and placed it into a shadow box before presenting it to Brooks. Wittman's final award was a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for public service.

Once he finished presenting his three awards, Congressman Wittman "yielded the floor" to Supervisor Brooks. Brooks, full of emotion, kept his comments short but repeatedly thanked those in the community for being present.

We would be remiss if we did not mention the four protestors standing outside the Revercomb Building. The protestors were not there to voice their opposition to Supervisor Brooks but rather to stand against the pending tax bill. Their goal was to "let Wittman know that we strongly disapprove of the Tax Bill that is being pushed through Congress." Aside from some supporters taking their photos, the protestors remained pleasant and out of the way. Many local deputies and State Troopers were on hand for the ceremony and did keep tabs on the protestors but remained professional in dealing with them.