1:00PM
Richmond Convention Center, Richmond, VA
Council Members Present
Officers:
Nathan R. Green (James City County/Williamsburg), Chairman
Shannon L. Taylor (Henrico County), First Vice Chairman
Colin D. Stolle (Virginia Beach), Past Chairman
Council District Representatives:
- Julia H. Sichol (Westmoreland County)
- Krystyn L. Reid (York County)
- Ramin Fatehi (Norfolk)
- A. Gray Collins, III (Colonial Heights)
- Amy M. Ashworth (Prince William County)
Other Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Present
Donald S. Caldwell (Roanoke City)
Jeff Haislip (Fluvanna County)
John L. Mahoney (Caroline County)
Beverly P. Leatherbury (Northampton County)
Georgette C. Phillips (Isle of Wight)
Stacey T. Davenport (Chesterfield County)
Susan O. Fierro (Prince George County)
R. Bryan Haskins (Pittsylvania County)
Paul R. Walther (Culpeper County)
Parisa Dehghani-Tafti (Arlington County/Falls Church)
Gerald D. Arrington (Buchanan County)
Christian E. Rehak (Radford)
Anne M. Williams (Clarke County)
Heather D. Hovermale (Winchester)
Matt Hamel (Chesapeake)
Derek Davis (Surry County)
Mary Pettitt (Montgomery County)
Daniel Rutherford (Nelson County)
Clarissa Berry (Madison County)
Howard Gwynn (Newport News)
Leanne Watrous (Nottoway County)
M. Andrew Nester (Henry County)
Elizabeth “Libby” Humphries (Fredericksburg)
Keri Gusmann (King George County)
Meredith Adkins (King & Queen County)
Buta Biberaj (Loudoun County)
Tim Martin (Augusta County)
Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorneys Present
Robbie Fierro (Hopewell)
Shaniqua Clark Nelson (Loudoun County)
Marie Wells (Gloucester County)
CASC Staff Present
Jane Sherman Chambers
VACA Staff Present
Amanda Howie, Administrator
Call to Order
Mr. Green called the meeting to order at 1:11 p.m.
Minutes
The draft minutes from the February 15, 2022, meeting were previously posted and circulated to Council. The minutes were approved as submitted.
Chairman’s Report
Mr. Green welcomed everyone to CASC’s 2022 Spring Institute and asked everyone in attendance to introduce themselves.
Administrator’s Report
Ms. Chambers reviewed the agenda items:
Old Business
CATF Update
Ms. Chambers reviewed the CATF balance sheet reflecting account activity through February 28, 2022.
2022 Spring Institute Update
Ms. Chambers began by commending new staff attorney, Jill Harris, for her hard work on preparing for Spring Institute during an unprecedented year. Ms. Chambers reviewed the training agenda and reported that it had been approved by the Virginia State Bar for 18 hours of continuing legal education. She further reported that 749 people registered to attend in person, while 196 registered to watch the limited simulcast. Ms. Chambers reminded attendees that CASC had arranged to have the Convention Center Food Court open during lunch on Monday and Tuesday to provide a quick and convenient lunch option. CASC also would be providing breakfast on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. She apologized for the late notice regarding the Broad Street repaving project, but CASC had only learned of it on Friday. Finally, Ms. Chambers reported that a contract issue has arisen with the Omni Hotel and that she has referred it to CASC’s counsel at the Office of the Attorney General.
2022 Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Handbook
Ms. Chambers attached a digital copy of the new Commonwealth’s Attorneys’ Handbook to the meeting agenda and placed it in the student DropBox. It contains all the duties and responsibilities in the Virginia Code that pertain to the attorney for the Commonwealth. It is 215 pages long. She thanked Ken Lammers, Chief Deputy in Wise County, for taking on this huge project and producing something incredibly useful. Ms. Taylor commented on how useful this resource is in demonstrating how many responsibilities Virginia’s prosecutors have for which they are not recognized. She has provided the handbook to the National Center for State Courts for purposes of the VACA time study.
CASC Finance Committee
Ms. Chambers reported that the CASC Finance Committee will meet to discuss the upcoming year’s budget after Spring Institute expenses have been processed and CASC knows how much money CASC will have to work with in FY23. She has proposed June 8, 2022, after Board & Council meetings as a likely date and time for the meeting.
New Business
Secretary of Public Safety
Ms. Chambers announced that Bob Mosher, former Sheriff of Fauquier County, has been named the new Secretary of Public Safety. He will attend Spring Institute on Monday and share a few remarks. He also has been invited to a VACA luncheon on Tuesday to discuss public safety priorities. The Deputy Secretary of Public Safety who has been assigned to CASC is Maggie Cleary, a former assistant commonwealth’s attorney from Culpeper.
Military Justice System Training Opportunity
Ms. Chambers reported that she had been approached by Lt. Col. Ramer, USAF, about providing training to Virginia’ prosecutors about the military justice system. She provided a copy of a training agenda that Lt. Col. Ramer and his office have presented to prosecutors in South Carolina. Ms. Chambers stated that she thought that this could be valuable training for many in Virginia and she would proceed to set something up unless she heard objection. No objections were expressed.
Public Comment
None
Adjournment
There being no further business before Council, the meeting adjourned at 1:36 p.m. The next regularly scheduled meeting is May 4, 12:00 noon, at the CASC offices at Truist Place (formerly SunTrust Building), 919 E. Main Street, Suite 1250, Rich