Tensions were high during Tuesday’s meeting of the Mathews County Board of Supervisors, as one supervisor questioned the validity of the meeting and ended up walking out, along with a second supervisor.
The meeting was held both electronically and in person, with chairman Amy Dubois, vice chair Mike Rowe and supervisor Melissa Mason joining electronically from their homes in a livestream that was projected on a screen above the dais. Supervisors Paul Hudgins and Jackie Ingram were physically present and seated at the dais, along with County Attorney Andrea Erard.
Dubois opened the meeting by attempting to read guidelines for public participation, but Hudgins interrupted her, arguing that the meeting wasn’t legal because only two supervisors were physically present. He harkened back to a budget public hearing in April when the board first made the decision to hold virtual meetings, but were constrained by the fact that state law required that a quorum be physically present.
Dubois calle...