Dumfries Appoints New Mayor and Vice Mayor

By KJ Mushung

Dumfries, Va. — The Dumfries Town Council appointed Vice Mayor Nancy West as Interim Mayor of Dumfries in a closed session Tuesday night. In the same resolution, council members also appointed Councilman Willie J. Toney as Interim Vice Mayor and town citizen Gwendolyn Washington as a councilmember. The move follows the Nov. 6 death of Mayor Fred Yohey Jr.

The vote was not unanimous. Five of the remaining members of the council voted for the resolution, while Councilwoman Kristin Forrester voted against the appointments. There was only one vote held for all three appointments together, so council members were unable to vote for each candidate individually.

“I am truly humbled and honored to have this opportunity to carry forward the legacy of Fred Yohey,” said West in a press release. “He was a friend, a mentor and a beloved member of our town for many years. Although this is a tremendous opportunity, it is a bittersweet one. Fred had great faith in our community and in each other and believed that active involvement by our residents and business leaders was essential to building a strong and successful community. We are blessed and fortunate to have so many people devoted to making our town a better place to live… One of [Yohey’s] greatest desires was to establish a strong foundation that we can leave to our children, one they will look back on with great pride. As mayor, I promise to make this a priority to ensure his vision is realized.”

West and Toney will serve in their new interim positions until a special election, scheduled for May 2012, is held. That election will determine who will serve the remaining two years of Yohey’s term. They were both elected to the town council in May 2008.

Washington, daughter of former Councilman Wilmer Porter and wife of former Vice Mayor Clyde Washington, will serve the remainder of West’s council term, which expires June 30, 2012. Washington is a retired educator.