By KJ Mushung
Dumfries, Va. — The Dumfries Town Council voted Tuesday night to approve interim town manager Daniel Taber as the permanent town manager.
Taber used to be the police chief of Dumfries. Robert Forker is currently the interim police chief. The matter of whether or not Forker would be made the permanent police chief was not raised.
Taber was voted in as interim town manager Aug. 2 while the town conducted a search for a permanent town manager. The search was expected to take three months.
Councilman Willie J. Toney abstained from the vote for two reasons. He said that he believed the entire council should be present to vote on something so important, but not all the members were there. Kristin W. Forrester was not present at the meeting. Toney also raised concerns about discussions among council members and the mayor that he said he was left out of. Therefore he abstained from the vote partially “as a matter of protest.”
Toney tried to make it clear that he was not protesting Taber becoming town manager but rather the execution of the process.
“There’s no question in my mind that Mr. Taber, once he’s confirmed, will be very able, and the town of Dumfries will be well served by him,” said Toney to the council.
“You have my support professionally, but I will not endorse this process,” Toney said to Taber.
“Nobody intentionally did anything to exclude anybody on the staff. So I apologize publicly. Nothing was intentional,” Mayor Fred Yohey Jr., explained to Toney.
The rest of the council members who were present voted to hire Taber as the permanent town manager.
Former Town Manager Kim Alexander, who left to become the town manager of Culpeper, said in an earlier interview that the town manager manages the budget, manages and oversees departments in the town government and serves as a liaison between the departments and the town council.
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